Leave Out All The Rest
by Kyriana42
Summary: A little loss of sleep never hurt anyone, or did it? What if such a thing gave one the chance to alter the future? Would they take it? Better than it sounds! Starts out Conby, eventual Stabby.
1. Famous Last Words

This is my first Primeval fic, so please no flames. Also, the first couple of paragraphs are my version of what someone would call a slightly poor attempt at abridging a scene from a show. Anyways, read on please.

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Primeval, because if I didn't I'd probably be super famous right about now.

**Chapter One: Famous Last Words**

"Stephen, open the door!" Nick Cutter yelled pounding on the dead-locked titanium door as he watched Stephen slowly back away from the door and towards his imminent demise.

"Sorry mate, I'm doing this one." Stephen called back.

"No, open this door, right now!" Cutter called back more furious than before as he pounded on the door. "Stephen!"

"Tell Conner and Abby to stay out of trouble." Stephen smirked for the last time as all of the creatures he had previously fought encircled him, but what was far more horrific than his _"silent death,"_ was the indescribable look on his face right before it happened.

As Nick's face disappeared from the small window, there was someone who continued to pound on a door calling, no, _screaming_ for Stephen to get out of there even though it was clearly much too late. This person had originally gone back to get Cutter, but stumbled upon this gruesome scene. This person was……

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"Abby. Abby, wake up!" Conner called as he lightly shook Abby awake.

Abby jumped out of her chair looking like Conner had electrocuted her out of her seat, but suddenly realized that she'd fallen asleep at her desk in the ARC again. "I'm awake Conner, what is it? Another anomaly?"

"Nah, Lester's on his way down to make sure that everyone's going home. He said something about dinner plans, god I hope it's not that nurse from the medical bay, she's a real looker that one." Connor trailed off.

Abby rubbed her drowsy eyes, "Sorry?"

Connor jumped at the realization that he'd just said that out loud, "um, Lester's got dinner plans, that's why he's letting everyone off the hook early tonight."

"What time is it?" Abby asked, as she started to move and stumbled.

"About six p.m.," Connor replied catching her. "Listen Abby, I think that, um, maybe I should drive. I don't think I ever seen you this tired, since," Connor stated and then gave Abby a once-over glance; "actually, I've never seen you this tired."

"It's nothing, really, I just- I haven't been getting much sleep lately. But it's nothing a good night's rest won't cure." Abby tried to smile convincingly hoping Connor would buy in.

Connor clapped his hands together, a wide grin spreading across his face, "Right, so eat-in or take-out?" He asked as they left the ARC.

"Doesn't matter. What do you want?" Abby asked trying to keep Connor occupied with dinner rather than her sleep deprivation.

"Well, we could get Chinese food or pizza?" Connor asked hopefully, looking at Abby.

"Pizza sounds great!" Abby replied with fake cheerfulness.

"Super!" Connor replied putting his phone up to his ear having already dialed the number. "Pepperoni and Mushroom alright with you?"

"Yep." Abby replied as they got into her car and drove back to the flat.

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After Connor and Abby returned to the flat and ate, they started to watch Casino Royal, (A/N the newer version of Casino Royal. Connor had decided to rent a dvd on their way back.) but Abby dozed off about twenty minutes into the film, although she did try her best to stay awake.

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"Stephen, open the door!" Nick Cutter yelled pounding on the dead-locked titanium door as he watched Stephen slowly back away from the door and towards his imminent demise.

"Sorry mate, I'm doing this one." Stephen called back.

"No, open this door, right now!" Cutter called back more furious than before as he pounded on the door. "Stephen!"

"Tell Conner and Abby to stay out of trouble." Stephen smirked for the last time as all of the creatures he had previously fought encircled him, but what was far more horrific than his _"silent death,"_ was the indescribable look on his face right before it happened.

As Nick's face disappeared from the small window, there was someone who continued to pound on a door calling, no, _screaming_ for Stephen to get out of there even though it was clearly much too late. This person had originally gone back to get Cutter, but stumbled upon this gruesome scene. This person was……

It was Abby; she was the person pounding on the other door, screaming for Stephen to get out of there. When she finally realized the futility of the situation, she fell to her knees grasping her bloody hands. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. How could this have happened? This had to be Helen Cutter's doing. But before she (Abby) could finish her next thought, she noticed a bright light, an anomaly, soon partially obscured by a shadow of someone or something……

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"Abs-Abby…?" Connor gently shook her trying to wake her, because she was practically screaming bloody murder in her sleep.

Abby's eyes flew open and she shot straight up, releasing one last scream and then noticed her best friend looking quizzically at her with worried eyes.

"Connor?" she said breathing heavily, making his name sound more like a question than a statement.

Connor pulled Abby into a hug, "you're starting to scare me, Abs."

"I think I'm starting to scare myself." Abby replied holding tightly onto Connor as if he were the only thing keeping her anchored in reality.

"Bad dream?"

"Nightmare, more like it."

"Abby?" Connor asked in an alarmed voice.

"Yeah?"

"You're burning up." Conner replied cautiously.

"No, I'm fine, really. I'm gonna go put the kettle on that'll calm me-" Abby stood and turned to walk toward the kitchen, but collapsed onto the floor.

Connor jumped off the couch ad began to check Abby's vital signs, her heart was beating rapidly. "Abs-Abby! Abby!!"

Connor turned around and grabbed his mobile off the table and called for an ambulance.

"Just hang on Abby," he said to her unconscious form, "hang on!"

But she could barely hear him as the darkness overwhelmed her.

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See that wonderful button at the bottom of this page? Please click it and let me know what you think! ;) Also, to those loyal fans of my other fics, I haven't forgotten about them, I just haven't had the time to get around to updating, but I promise that I will try to get something up soon.


	2. Fever Pitch

**Disclaimer:** Obviously don't own, so you obviously shouldn't sue!

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**_Chapter 2: Fever Pitch_**

She pounded on the other door, screaming for Stephen to get out of there. When she finally realized the futility of the situation, she fell to her knees grasping her bloody hands. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. How could this have happened? This had to be Helen Cutter's doing. But before she could finish her next thought, she noticed a bright light, an anomaly, soon partially obscured by a shadow of someone or something……

It lunged at her nearly seconds after emerging from the anomaly and she noticed in a split second that it was a future predator about to force her to share a fate similar to Stephen's……….

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**About 30 minutes earlier (non-Abby dream sequence)…….**

Connor sat on a bench outside Abby's room covering his face with his hands.

"Here you go," Cutter said holding out a cup of coffee for his student-turned-friend.

Connor jumped slightly at the first noise he'd heard since he and Abby got here. He slowly removed his hands from his face and graciously accepted his cup of coffee. Cutter sat down next to Connor and stared through the glass window at the still unconscious and clearly feverish Abby.

"How is she?" Cutter asked trying to the uncomfortable silence.

"Still the same," Connor replied torn, "they've managed to stabilize her a bit since we got here, but the doctors said that her temperature was 104.8* F when they brought her in, but it seems like it's slowly climbing. They said they're doing all they can, but" Connor choked a sob.

"What?" Nick pressed on hoping the younger man wasn't about to reveal some sort of grizzly fate awaiting the poor girl.

"They said there's a 50/50 chance that she might not make it. Cutter, I dunno what I'm gonna do if she-"

"Don't even think that Connor, Abby's going to get better and everything's going to be okay again." Cutter reassured the younger man. 'I hope.' He thought.

"Actually, I-I think it might be my fault she's in here in the first place." Connor admitted quietly after a few moments of silence.

Nick Cutter looked at Connor with an alarmed face which quickly diminished into a sympathetic façade, it wasn't right that Connor was trying to shift blame on himself even though Abby's predicament was clearly no one's fault…yet.

"What makes you say that Connor? I mean, clearly there's nothing you could've done that would have changed Abby's current quandary."

"Yeah, I could've. Listen to me Cutter; I noticed a little while after the whole mer incident that Abby wasn't exactly acting like herself. It was sort of like she'd changed or something. She started having nightmares, screaming in the night like something or someone was trying to kill her. I would always go and wake her up and ask her what was wrong, but she would always give me the same answer 'Don't worry about it Connor,' or ' I'm fine, really', but she never actually told me what was wrong never told me her troubles the way good friends are supposed to. I began to feel like she hated me or she was keeping secrets from me or something. Then she just stopped having nightmares for awhile, and went back to her daily routines like nothing had ever happened. Until earlier today whenever I went to wake her up, cos she fell asleep at her desk and Lester was coming to get rid of everyone because he had dinner plans, she jumped like 10 feet in the air and looked around like she was in a daze or something and stumbled, but I caught her. Then, when we were leaving I was asking her what she wanted to eat for dinner," he paused to take a drink of his coffee.

"She acted uninterested, but I decided that I couldn't let on that I knew she was being apathetic at the moment. When we got back to the flat, we ate some pizza and put on Casino Royal starring Daniel Craig. Thing was, she just randomly started screaming bloody murder, and I thought 'wait a minute, there's no way that 007 getting poisoned is that scary' and then that's when I noticed that she'd fallen asleep and was actually screaming in her sleep, so I woke her up and happened to notice that she was running a fever. I brought it to her attention and told her she needed to lie down, but she ignored me, told me she was going to put on some tea, and then passed out on the floor and here we are. I love her and this is completely and entirely my fault and I accept any and all responsibility."

Cutter was going to say something, but his mobile began to ring. He patted Connor on the shoulder, "I don't think there's anyway possible that this could be blamed on you no matter how you look at it, excuse me." He answered the phone as he walked away out of Connor's hearing range trying to convince himself that he didn't see that coming, but even he couldn't have predicted what was about to happen.

"Stephen where the hell have you been!" Cutter yelled into the phone.

"Actually, this is Jenny; do you think you'd like to be just a little bit nicer?"

"Oh, sorry Jenny, I-" 'Wait a minute,' he thought 'what the hell is Jenny doing calling from Stephen's phone? I should just calm down, it's probably just a misunderstanding.'

"Cutter, did you hear me?" Jenny asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" Cutter asked obliviously.

"I said that I was on my way to the hospital after I convinced my fiancé that it was a matter of life or death, when my car broke down on the side of the road about five miles away from the hospital. I tried to flag someone down hoping they would give me a lift and Stephen just happened to be on his way to the hospital, saw me on the side of the road, and now we're on our way to the hospital. We should be there in about ten minutes, what room is Abby in?"

"212." Cutter muttered.

"Great, thanks, see ya soon."

"Yeah, see ya soon." Cutter replied even though Jenny had hung up halfway through his sentence.

'This is just great' Cutter thought to himself, 'it wasn't enough that he had to have an affair with Helen, but now he's moved on to Jenny it seems. What the hell's going on?'

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Jenny hung up the phone and handed it to Stephen. "Well, that definitely could have gone better."

"You probably shouldn't have tried to be so discrete. Nick's not one of those people who usually enjoys discrete conversations. You're gonna have to explain to Nick what really happened when we get to the hospital." Stephen explained.

"Don't worry I will, just worry about the road right now." Jenny snapped.

'This is the trouble with women,' Stephen thought, 'they always have to have the last word no matter what. Nick's probably pissed off beyond belief right now and he can think of me what he will for all I care right now, but that's not what's bothering me. What I can't figure out is how Abby suddenly got so sick; it can't be food poison, because even Connor would've figured that out by now. I just hope that she can hold on until I get there.' And with that, Stephen began to drive faster.

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Cutter went and took his place back on the bench next to Connor, "Stephen and Jenny just called, they're on their way, and they should be here soon."

"I've been watching her vitals, on the machines, Cutter; I think you should look at them, because it looks like she's been running the 100-meter or something because her heart rate's been gradually climbing." Connor replied completely ignoring what Cutter just said.

Cutter jumped out of his seat towards the window to look at the machines, Connor was right; her vitals were slowly, but surely escalating like she'd been running the 100-meter dash. In the background, he suddenly heard the elevator ding and decided to turn around and noticed Jenny and Stephen walking towards them.

"Glad you could join us," Cutter greeted them his voice slightly cynical, stepping away from the glass.

"Listen Cutter, I can explain everything, later, I promise, but right now, I'm just here to see if Abby is okay." Jenny replied slightly raising her hands.

Nick was about to say something until a near-ear piercing scream filled the hall. It was Abby. An all the team could do was stand there while the available doctors ran in to try and stabilize her now that her temperature had risen to 105.4*F.

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Hey everybody! First and foremost, thanks to everybody for R&Ring!! I really enjoy reading reviews, hope that doesn't make me sound like an idiot or anything; anyways I really do love hearing what others have to say about my stuff so please keep on reviewing! Really sorry it took awhile to update, didn't want anyone to think I was sitting at home doing absolutely nothing. Quite honestly, this is probably the eighteenth time that I've had to type this because my computer seems to be a danger magnetic and either deletes every digital work of mine, encrypts everything so it ends up getting deleted anyways, or crashes. (Quickly knocks on wood). It'll probably be a while before I update again, because I'm like a week behind on schoolwork and mid-terms are coming up. :( Don't forget to click the lovely button and review!! Thanks!


	3. A Devious Plan

**DISCLAIMER:** The chances of me owning Primeval would be similar to my chances of owning a 911 Turbo and my last name being Cullen. It **COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAPPEN**. (At least, I don't think it could lol) ^_^

Ok, got that out of the way, now onto the story……….

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**Chapter 3: A Devious Plan**

A few weeks had passed since Abby was brought into the hospital. The doctors were able to keep her sporadic temperature from reaching 106.0* F. The team was called out on a few missions, but the entire time, either Connor or Stephen had stayed at Abby's side after Doctors deemed her illness non-contagious. Abby still screamed during her fever-induced sleep and it pained the team to see her suffer this way. The doctors informed Cutter that the sickness Abby was suffering from was some unknown parasitic flu that was slowly mutating into a disease that would ultimately lead to the poor girl's demise if a cure wasn't found soon.

Connor sat silently on the bench outside Abby's room staring at her still form. He had never felt so useless in his entire life. He was a walking encyclopedia for crying out loud; but if Abby had obtained the disease from the mer incident, then there wasn't anything he could do but watch the love of his life wither away because of this job. This godforsaken job which had given him so much, and now it was taking so much more away. There was only one way he could possibly be able to help Abby–no, he wouldn't let himself contemplate that plan. No, it wasn't even a plan; it was treason in the highest against his friends. But all he needed was the opportunity.

"She'll get through this."

Connor flinched. He hadn't noticed Stephen take a seat next to him.

"I hope so." Connor replied distractedly.

Connor suddenly seemed to jump to life with a suppressed sickening feeling.

"Stephen can I ask you something and you swear not to breathe a word of it to anyone else?"

"Yeah, sure. We're sort of like brothers aren't we?"

"Yeah, of course we are. Um," He didn't know exactly how to say what he needed to say without Stephen figuring him out. "What would you do…if you were in my position?"

Stephen gave Connor a confused look.

'Oh great, he's onto my plan and then he'll tell Cutter, and then they'll have me locked up and-and just shut up and concentrate Connor' Connor mentally scolded himself.

"Sorry?" Stephen asked confused. "This isn't about Caroline again is it?"

Connor once again flinched involuntarily. He had to be more careful with his plan or he'd be found out. "No, we're through. I dumped her almost a month ago. I mean, what I'm trying to say is-" he took a deep breath. 'Calm down Connor' he thought quickly. "If you could find a way to save someone, would you take it?"

Stephen looked at Abby and then back at Connor. He wasn't entirely sure what was running through Connor's brain right now, but something-maybe a gut feeling-told him that something behind Connor's cracked façade revealed a desperate man, who wasn't afraid to openly express his love for someone-someone they both fancied.

"Are you trying to say you've found a cure to save Abby?" Stephen asked calmly trying to hide the suspicion in his voice.

"No, it's just that, I got a call from my mum last night. She told me that my sister, Sarah, was admitted to the hospital, a couple of days away from here, last night. I'd only be gone maybe a week. She's really sick and I was asked to go visit her, but I don't want to leave Abby in case something should happen. You know a breakthrough or something. I wanna be here when she wakes up. Even if we should be called in for an anomaly, I would feel totally at fault if the team couldn't-"

"Don't worry Connor," Stephen cut him off, "it's only a week, I'm sure we'll manage. Have you told Cutter, yet?"

"No," Connor replied. "I wouldn't want him to panic and think I'm doing something rash by leaving. Promise you won't tell him?"

Stephen gave a half smile, "I'll try to play dumb for as long as possible. When are you leaving?"

"What's today?"

"Wednesday. Are you sure you don't want someone to go with you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, just keep an eye on Abby for me while I'm gone. I'll probably leave Friday. I've still got to pack and finish some things up at the ARC."

Connor patted Stephen on the back. "Thanks, mate. I'm gonna go check on Abby."

Connor jumped up and walked into Abby's room.

Stephen sat on the bench, laughing to himself. 'Why would Connor be so worried about whether or not Cutter knew where he was going?'

Suddenly, a voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hello Stephen."

He turned his head to see Helen Cutter peering around a corner gesturing for him to come closer.

"Helen," Stephen greeted, anger tinting his voice as he rose and walked toward her.

"What are you doing here? If Nick catches you anywhere near here-"

"I appreciate the concern Stephen," Helen cut him off, "but Nick's more absorbed in his own problems right now to even worry about me. You and I, however, we have an even bigger problem on our hands."

"Yeah, Abby's going to die unless you help us figure out what's wrong with her." Stephen chimed in angrily.

Helen shook her head, "the lizard girl is unimportant."

"She's important to me!" Stephen yelled, but quickly realized that he might've just set Abby up for certain death if Helen's jealousy happened to get the better of her and quickly added, "and the rest of the team." He glared at a pair of nurses who were staring at him when he had yelled just now.

Helen looked at him curiously for a moment, and then continued. "Listen to me Stephen, there is a traitor among you, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It's Lester, he's the traitor."

"How did you come across this information, Helen?" Stephen asked hoping to keep one step ahead of Helen.

"It doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you are care of whom you trust. In the coming months, it will all make sense, I promise." She kissed him on the lips and disappeared down the nearest staircase as the sound of footsteps came closer.

"Stephen," it was Jenny, "thank goodness I've found you. We've got to go, there's been a sighing of a Gorgonopsid not far from here."

Stephen ignored Jenny at first, Helen's words still lingering in his mind. He found it somewhat far fetched that James Lester, his so-called boss could be behind whatever was tearing the team apart. Sure he was a real creep sometimes and everyone occasionally got the urged to want to 'accidentally' dump him in the worst anomaly possible, but, there was just no plausible way that he would just send them off to deal with anomalies every time they popped up and somehow manage to secretly scheme a way to inevitably get one or all of them killed.

Suddenly, he felt Jenny hit him in the back of the head and baled reluctantly as he was rudely shaken from his thoughts.

'Did you even hear me Stephen?" she asked impatiently.

'Sorry, I didn't, I was busy thinking about something." He replied honestly.

Jenny looked straight ahead and noticed a nurse at the far end of the hall stocking a cart with towels and scoffed with disgust.

"What?" Stephen asked innocently, then followed her gaze.

"I wasn't thinking about her, I was trying to figure out,-oh, just forget it. What were you saying?"

"Gorgonopsid. Not far from here. About five people dead. Big problem. Are you coming?"

"Yeah sure, let's go." Stephen replied concealing his apathy and hoping Helen was lying as he and Jenny went to collect Cutter and save the day again.

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Wow, I can't believe that it's been nearly 2 months since my last update. Time really does fly. I really had a lot of fun writing this chapter, because after spending about a month agonizing myself into writer's bloc over this fic and digging my way back out, I finally came to a conclusion of where I sorta want to take this fic. I apologize in advance if anyone finds a vast amount of typos in this chapter as I typed this around midnight and posted. Also, it didn't exactly help that nearly the whole time, my little sister kept reading over my shoulder while I was typing and went off on a rant about how I should kill Helen off immediately. I have to study for a college music audition, so, please forgive the lack of updating. I won't forget, I'm multitasking to write chap four as we speak. Also, for those who promise to R&R, here's a preview of the next chap:

_All she could think about was how she couldn'tmove and how Connor would never forgive her for being so stupid. She closed her eyes bracing for imminent death._

No character death, yet, I promise….or is there?


	4. Game, Set, And Match

**DISCLAIMER:** You know if I owned a TARDIS the possibility of me owning Primeval would exist, **HOWEVER**, I do NOT own either, but please enjoy the fic……

**Chapter 4: Game Set and Match**

It lunged at her nearly seconds after emerging from the anomaly and she noticed in a split second that it was a future predator about to force her to share a fate similar to Stephen's……….

All she could think about was how she couldn't move and how Connor would never forgive her for being so stupid. She closed her eyes bracing for imminent death. It felt like minutes had passed, but death had not yet claimed her. Or was she already dead? She truly did not want to know. She chanced a peek and noticed the future predator lying in a pool of blood. She still couldn't move, yet she was overcome with joy. All she wanted to do now was stand up and run back to Connor and the safety of her friends.

She made a move to stand up by pushing off the ground with her hands, but fell back to the ground cringing as she remembered her mangled hands, which could quite possibly have been broken from her pounding on the door so hard. She pushed herself against the wall and used her feet to push herself up onto her feet and began running blindly away from the door as she heard the terrible sounds of the creature, which had killed Stephen, tearing each other apart.

The anomaly that had let the future predator, that had attacked her, out didn't close and that fact made her only run faster. She suddenly heard several clicking sounds as well as a pair of footsteps. She kept running and turned down a corridor only to realize that shed made a wrong turn and ended up in a corridor with a dead-end.

She tried opening the two doors that were nearest her, but they were locked. She once again fell to her knees. She thought that she'd actually make it out of here, back to her friends, but now, it seemed as though even that was impossible. The clicking noises were getting closer and she now noticed the shadows of the creatures as they drew nearer to where she was.

Suddenly, another anomaly opened to her left. 'This is the end,' she thought. 'My luck is just that bad. It won't just be Stephen whose life was taken here.'

Helen Cutter stepped partially out of the anomaly holding out her hand to Abby and said "Come with me quickly, I have a proposition for you."

Abby looked at Helen and looked back at the shadows nearing her location…….

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Abby's eye fluttered open. She looked around weakly, taking in her surroundings. She realized that she wasn't anywhere in her flat anymore and she couldn't remember falling asleep or why she couldn't move at present. Could she even speak? She felt movement near her left arm and tried to move her head to see who it was. She could only move her head an inch or two and still suppress the urge to scream in pain. She looked near her arm and noticed a sleeping figure, at first, she had thought it was Stephen, but quickly realized that it was Connor.

She tried to force herself to form his name in her dry mouth. There was something she needed to know.

"C-Con-Conner. Conner please wake up." She pleaded.

He budged a little and groggily lifted his head. He opened and closed his eyes a few times and fell out of his chair in shock. He quickly stood up and tried to pretend he hadn't just fallen. Normally, this would've made Abby laugh, but given the circumstances she was in major pain, mixing fantasy with reality, and wasn't entirely sure if Stephen Hart was still alive or not.

"Abby! Oh my God! You're awake! You're actually awake!" He went to give her a hug but stopped when he noticed that she appeared to be in severe pain.

"Do you need something?" He asked suddenly full of energy.

"Connor," she said weakly.

"Food? Water?"

"Connor," she said a bit louder.

"Need me to call the doc?" he asked as he reached for the phone.

"Connor" she yelled as loud as her hoarse voice would allow. "Calm down. I don't need anything right now. I just need you to tell me if anyone on the team has been killed."

"Killed?" Connor asked confused. "Not that I know of, but Cutter, Jenny, Stephen, and some of the military men just went to deal with an anomaly that a Gorgonopsid came out of not far from here."

"How come you're not with them?" Abby asked slightly distracted from what she was trying to get him to tell her.

Connor's face flushed red "Well, I couldn't leave you, erm, I mean; someone has to stay with you. Can't be trusting nurses…" He trailed off.

"Listen Abby, you've only just woke up from a month long, fever-induced coma, which is possibly still life-threatening. I don't think you should be getting too excited about anything."

"Connor, I don't think that now is the time to worry about me. I can't explain it but-" Her eyes closed and she no longer spoke. Her head fell limp to one side.

"But what? Abby, C'mon, wake up. I can't lose you again.

Suddenly, Connor jumped up and looked around the room and back at Abby. He hadn't even realized that he'd fallen asleep.

'It was just a dream,' he thought. 'Just a horrible nightmare.'

He looked at Abby's still figure, nothing different about her. He really wished that she'd wake up so he wouldn't have to do what he planned to do in a matter of days.

'I've got to figure out how I'm going to do this without Cutter thinking that I'm the traitor.' Connor thought.

He sat back down and sobbed, "Abby I wish that you would just wake up already so I wouldn't have to go through with this."

"Through with what?" a voice suddenly asked.

It was Nick Cutter.

Connor immediately stood straight up, wiping his eyes, and cleared his throat.

"Nothing. I was just talking to myself." 'Way to go Connor, that really sounds believable because now he's going to think you've gone mad and why the hell am I talking to myself?' he mentally kicked himself. "Actually Cutter, I think I've found a way to find out who's been sneaking around the ARC lately. You know, the traitor."

Nick Cutter gave a small smile. "That's great Connor, but I think that you should go home and get some rest. We don't need someone else down. Get some sleep and call me later and then we'll talk about how to go about things from there, ok?"

Connor nodded and Cutter patted him on the back. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

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As Connor and Cutter drove away, a young woman (about 28 years old, with medium length dark, reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, wearing jeans, a purple t-shirt, and converses) waited by the corner of the hospital watching as the two drove away when suddenly Helen Cutter appeared next to her.

"I thought I told you not to wait for me, Kyra." Helen scolded in her monotonous voice. "It might attract unwanted attention."

"Sorry about that mum." Helen raised an eyebrow. "I mean, Helen, but we've got a big problem."

"What is it?" Helen asked slightly annoyed.

"That reporter named Harper. He's been snooping around everywhere Cutter is and plus I just came back from a few years into the future and he destroys the ARC, Cutter, and possibly even us. I think that we should do something about it before he does our work for us incorrectly."

Helen looked across the lot to see an insignificant creeper with slicked jet black hair staring directly at them taking pictures from a beat-up car from possibly the 70s. This could only be Mick Harper.

An idea suddenly came to Helen on exactly how to deal with this and then turned to Kyra. "Do me a favor and assemble a small team of the cleaners. Tell them to get ready because they're going to go on a little field trip with Leek. I've got something to deal with at present. I'll meet back up with you at the base. Try not to get caught."

"I won't, but what are you going to do, Helen?"

"Nothing much, I'm just going to go show our mutual friend Harper exactly how we treat unwelcomed competition." Helen smiled evilly. (A/N: actually I kinda think that her face is permanently stuck that way but anyway…)

Kyra just nodded and walked away looking for a good place to open an anomaly trying not to think of the horrors Helen had planned for that nosy reporter.

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Back at the ARC……

Stephen was grabbing his jacket out of his locker and locking up when Jenny showed up.

"What do you want Jenny? I know that there's no anomaly and I'm kind of in a hurry."

"It's nothing really." Jenny replied staring at her feet.

"Did you sort things out with Cutter yet?"

"Actually, no."

"That would explain why Cutter's still pissed at me then. Why not?"

"I'm not sure what to tell him."

"The truth, maybe?" Stephen answered angrily.

"Oh, you know what I meant."

"No, I don't think I do anymore. All you have to do is explain to him exactly what happened so that everything can go back to normal and everyone will be happy again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to the hospital and stay with Abby because Cutter just phoned to tell me that he took Connor home because the poor guy's asleep on his feet."

And with that Stephen walked out of the locker room and towards his truck not caring about his current problems, but only about Abby.

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Hey all, sorry the updates are running slow. They're really starting to pack on the work at school because seniors are finishing up a few weeks earlier than the underclassmen and plus I've got a nasty cold and lost my voice. Also, sorry if this chap seemed a little too Conby and/or Stephen/Jenny it's due to my friend (who doesn't even watch the show) rambling on about how I should make the story Conby instead of Stabby, as well as it being partially my fault for watching Series 3. Anyways, I'm trying to battle it (and my cold) and hopefully have another chap up soon after I get home from D.C. this weekend. I've got some really interesting things planned so stay tuned! Also, there will be cupcakes all around! depending on how fast I can write the next chapter, whether or not I get at least ten reviews by the end of the weekend and as soon as I figure out how to make virtual cupcakes.

-Kyriana42


	5. What To Do Part 1

* * *

Chapter 5: What to Do Part 1

**Disclaimer:** Step 1: Refer to previous chaps; Step 2: If that doesn't work, sorry, can't help ya!

**Quick A/N:** I've been trying to keep up with Series 3 (be aware of possible spoilers soon) and realized that if this was going to be a Stabby fic, I'd feel terrible about Connor getting the short end of the stick hence, the creation of my oc for Connor, hopefully things will turn out ok……or will they?

* * *

Kyra walked around the luxurious mansion that Helen had somehow managed to cook up in a terrifyingly beautiful world ruled by all of the creatures she and Helen had ever encountered, except the future predator and other miscellaneous creatures from the future of course. Though, every now and then, those creatures would pop out of an anomaly and show up near the mansion, but future tech and preparations were made to prevent them from ever getting in, like electric fences that could literally fry anything that touched it within an inch of its life.

It had been hours since she had assembled the small army of cleaners and sent them to rendezvous with Leek and investigate an anomaly before Cutter's team could reach it.

She went back over the extremely short conversation for the umpteenth time in her head.

She had walked through the steel-plated doors and did a sharp, high-pitched whistle. About 20 or so "cleaners" stood before her awaiting her command.

"All right troops, Helen tells me that in a few hours, an anomaly is going to open somewhere in an abandoned factory near the outskirts of the city. Your job is to rendezvous with Leek and collect whatever creatures might be on the other side. Remember, you only listen to mine or Helen's voice and are only under supervision via Leek. If he tells you to do anything that seems to contradict orders that were previously given by Helen or myself, well, I'm sure that you know what to do."

She opened an anomaly, "Right, I think this mission should only require ten of you. The other ten, return to return to your posts and stay off the top floor and the roof. I don't wish to be disturbed."

The ten cleaners went through the anomaly and the others went back to patrolling as Kyra closed he anomaly and returned to the roof where she still was several hours later.

It was getting dark and neither Helen nor the Cleaners had returned and Kyra began to wonder if Leek had betrayed them or if Mick Harper had managed to get the better of Helen. She was supposed to stay here, but she figured that since Helen Cutter came and went as she pleased, no one would really notice if she was gone.

She pulled out the anomaly device that Helen had given her and stared at it for a few moments before opening an anomaly and going through.

She ended up somewhere in a forest and quickly closed the anomaly behind her, so that Cutter's team wouldn't be able to track her down. Not that they knew of her existence, yet. Only Helen and Leek knew.

She looked at her surroundings. "Probably the Forest of Dean, unless I screwed up again and ended up in the Paleolithic Era," she muttered.

She sincerely hoped that it wasn't the Paleolithic Era because if it was, she'd be totally screwed as she'd brought no weapon with her to defend herself.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an anomaly open. She was about to close it when she noticed Nick Cutter, Stephen Hart, and some random girl run out of the anomaly. As soon as they were clear, Kyra closed the anomaly and proceeded to watch their next move. She couldn't really hear them, and decided to keep her distance, rather than try to explain if they happened to catch her.

They came upon a campsite, which resembled that of a caveman's campsite. She was about to use the anomaly device to disappear, but waited to see what was about to happen when a caveman jumped out in front of Cutter and Stephen.

Cutter's first instinct was to knock out the caveman and ask questions later. Soon after, they all gave a sigh of relief and disgust when they noticed the caveman's Hawaiian underwear proving that they were definitely not in the Paleolithic Era.

Kyra moved behind a bush nearer the action to get a better sense of what was going on when she noticed their tech, Connor and presumably the big cheese himself, Lester.

"Ha! I knew I was right! It is so good to see you guys!" Connor beamed with joy.

Stephen gave him a stern look, "A few basic plants, some bugs!"

Kyra suppressed a laugh at Stephen's emphasis on bugs. They must've been stuck somewhere with enormous bugs, possibly the Silurian.

"What?" Connor asked completely clueless to the hell they went through.

Kyra fancied Connor.

'No,' she thought as she walked away from the scene before she was noticed.

'I fancy his intelligence and the fact that he might prove a valuable asset to our "mission", but he'd never betray Cutter or his friends. Not in a million years. Besides, he fancies Abby, who, last time I checked was in a coma, which has devastated both Connor and Helen's pawn Stephen, and why the hell am I talking to myself? Never mind.'

She wasn't entirely sure as to exactly what Helen's motives were behind her reasoning to want to kill Stephen and possibly Nick Cutter, but she was sure that Helen had saved her nearly 25 years ago…..

* * *

She jumped through another anomaly and ended up in someone's flat. It was nighttime. She looked around and noticed several tanks with reptiles in them. She sat down on the sofa, which was surprisingly more comfortable than any of the furniture back at the mansion. She tried to force herself to stay awake when all of a sudden; she was surprised by a lizard that flew down and landed beside her chirping with excitement.

She pet it and continued to look around completely unaware that she had left the anomaly open and at that very moment Cutter, Stephen, and several military men were suiting up and rushing toward her current location.

* * *

An alarm went off at the ARC. Cutter and Stephen, who were finishing filing their paperwork after Lester had yelled at them about assaulting cavemen actors among many other things like safety protocols, ran towards the Anomaly Detection Device, or ADD as Connor had once put it.

"Where's the anomaly, Nick?" Stephen asked ready for action but the fatigue and irritation from the day's events were clear in his voice.

"Oh, God. It's in Connor and Abby's flat! We've got to get there fast because Connor's probably fast asleep and doesn't even realize that he might be in danger." Cutter replied jumping out of the seat and heading toward the door with Stephen and some military men close behind.

"Let's just hope that nothing's come through, yet." Stephen told Cutter trying to be optimistic enough for the both of them.

* * *

After finding nothing else interesting (besides the lizards) downstairs, Kyra walked up the stairs, cautious of possible creaks in the floor.

There weren't very many rooms upstairs, other than a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. She suddenly stopped dead when she heard a faint snoring, realizing that she might not be alone, as she had previously thought.

She followed the noise to a small bedroom where she found Connor fast asleep. She tried to convince herself that she shouldn't go into the room and that she should just leave before something really bad could happen. It was no use, she entered the room.

It was a simple room, just a bed, a night table, with a lamp on it, and an array of clothes strewn about the room. She walked closer to the bed and gently set the anomaly device on the night table and prayed that she wouldn't forget it when she left.

He looked so peaceful, lying there and Kyra couldn't help but inch closer toward Connor's sleeping figure. She kissed him. Without even thinking, she had kissed him. It wasn't a long kiss because a few seconds after her lips had touched his, she heard several cars pull up and car doors slam shut.

A sudden realization hit her. She'd forgotten to close the anomaly she had come through because she had been so distracted by the safety and simplicity of the flat.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she turned and ran out the door and down the stairs not even realizing that she had woken up Connor by cursing so loudly.

"Abby? Is that you?" he asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he saw a figure run out his door. He tried to jump out of bed, but more or less fell out of bed. Not just because he was still half asleep, but also because his right foot was tangled in the blankets. He held on to the night table for support and got to his feet.

"Hang on, what's this?" He asked quietly picking up the strange device that wasn't on his night table earlier. He hid it under his bed, quickly got dressed, and went after whoever it might be.

There it was. The anomaly Kyra had come through earlier. As she closed in toward the anomaly, she realized something else.

'The anomaly device! I've left it on the night table! Helen's gonna kill me!' she thought panicking. 'Oh well,' she thought calming down, 'maybe I'll get lucky, they won't find the device and this anomaly will close as soon as I go through it.'

Just as she was about to step through it, she heard several guns cock and presumably they were aimed at her.

"Put your hands up where we can see them." She heard a Scottish voice order.

'Great,' she thought, 'it's Cutter and his team. I can forget about Helen not killing me, because she's definitely going to kill me now for screwing up big time.'

She turned around with her arms in the air. If the stories Helen had told her were true, then this wasn't going to be pleasant. They were going to lock her in a cell, throw away the key and keep her there if she refused to cooperate; but then again, Helen did have a tendency to over exaggerate things.

She didn't put up a fight seeing as how she was completely unarmed and did not feel like getting shot today or any other day for that matter. They handcuffed her and took her outside and into one of the vehicles and escorted her back to the ARC.

* * *

Connor came downstairs just after Kyra had been escorted out of the flat and noticed Cutter waiting there staring at the anomaly.

"What's going on, Cutter?" Connor asked still groggy. "I mean, besides the completely random anomaly in the middle of the living room cos that's obviously something that's not there everyday and-"

"We found a girl, who was trying to make a break for the anomaly and arrested her. Stephen and the military men are taking her back to the ARC for interrogation. Are you coming?" Cutter cut him off.

'Yeah, sure. Just let me grab my stuff and I'll meet you in the truck." Connor replied.

Cutter nodded and went out to the truck, no questions asked just like Connor had hoped for. Connor stared at the anomaly for a few moments and as he lifted his hand to touch it, he heard Cutter beep the horn lightly and a few seconds later the anomaly disappeared.

He looked at the door, then back at the spot where the anomaly had been.

"I'm gonna find a cure for you, Abby. I promise. Whatever that device was that I found, I think it might be the key to saving you." Connor grabbed his knapsack off the sofa where he'd thrown it earlier and rushed out the door, locking up behind him, and hopped into the truck heading toward the ARC.

* * *

Hey everybody,

This chap is going to be a two-parter because it turned out to be way longer than I had expected. After I post part 2, the next chap should follow cos i've got it written down on paper, just need to transfer it to computer.

Please Read and Review!! ^^


	6. What to Do part 2

**Chapter 6: What To Do? Part 2**

**DISCLAIMER:** It's not called Impossible Pictures for nothing, I don't own you don't sue.

**Quick A/N:**** K.C. and Kyra are the same person.**

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Kyra was escorted directly to a very aggravated Lester's office upon her arrival to the ARC and now sat in a chair parallel to the where the big cheese normally sat and stared in amusement as Lester marched back and forth while Cutter and the two military men who had brought her here stood in the background. Cutter seemed more tense than the rest of them.

"Care to explain who you are and why you were caught in an employee's flat at this time of night near an anomaly?" Lester asked seeming to get more annoyed by the second.

"If I were in the military, I'd give you my rank and what not, however, since I'm not, the only information you'll be getting from me is the fact that my ending up in that flat was pure chance and that my initials are K.C." she replied with a smug look on her face as she put her feet up on his desk and crossed them.

"Do you have any idea of how much trouble you're currently in? How much trouble you will be in when we contact your parents?" Lester replied trying his hardest to keep his cool.

"Nope. Good luck with that." 'K.C.' smiled.

Leek entered the room and whispered to Lester, "sir, we've looked everywhere and there is no file for her."

Lester sighed heavily. "Very well, take her and put her in one of the holding cells."

The guards nodded and helped her to her feet and began to lead her out of the room when Lester added "Oh, and on your way there, be sure to take a detour to the medical wing and have them do blood tests."

As soon as the guards and Leek took their leave, Cutter moved forward, "well, it seems as though you've got everything under control I'll just send my team home and head there myself."

"No, Professor, that won't be necessary."

"Why not?" Cutter asked slightly aggravated from his lack of sleep.

"I need all of you to stay here so that in the next few hours when the blood tests come in, we can find out whether we need to push her through an anomaly and hope it's the right one or just have the police escort her home."

"Well, then I'll just stay. Let the rest of them go home, they haven't slept in days and if an anomaly alert comes in, they won't be at their best to deal with whatever comes out!" Cutter argued.

Lester dropped some papers on his desk, "That's not my problem." He sat down and looked up at Cutter and made a shooing motion with his hand, "well, go on, do whatever it is that you lot do I've got a lot of work to do."

Cutter stormed out of Lester's office. Had there been a glass door there, he would've slammed it shut and broke the glass not caring how Lester got it fixed.

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Cutter took a few moments to calm down before he would have to break the bad news to his team. He took a deep breath and entered the lounge where they usually hung out. They all stood up the minute he walked in hoping for the ok to go home that they wouldn't be getting just yet.

"So," Jenny asked, clearly more awake than Connor and Stephen who were gulping down their coffee hastily, "what's going on? Have they figured out who that girl is?"

"No, they're doing blood tests to determine who exactly she is because she refused to tell us anything other than the fact that her initials K.C. They took her to one of the holding cells to wait until the results come back in a few hours." Cutter explained.

"So, when can we go home?" Connor asked, impatient to get home and fiddle with the device he had found in his room. He had not told anyone about it yet, not even Cutter, and he planned to keep it that way.

"As soon as the blood test results are back in a few hours and Lester makes the decision on what to do with her. He refused to let any of us leave even when I offered to stay in everyone's place; but you guys look like you're about ready to fall over, go home. I'll take the rap Lester has nothing over us to keep us here. I'll update you the minute I hear something. If you don't get a call from me within the next few hours, then this was all just a big misunderstanding."

"I'll stay." Jenny replied.

"Me too," Stephen added.

"Me three," Connor chimed in making the decision that the device could wait a bit longer.

"Besides, I'm sure that we're all too tired to even make the drive home and there are some cots around here if we should need them however uncomfortable they may be." Jenny explained.

Cutter nodded and smirked. "Well, I'm guessing that this will mean more coffee all around."

Connor didn't wait for anyone to volunteer to get more coffee, he jumped out of his seat and walking toward the door said, "I'll get the coffee."

Cutter looked at him worriedly, "Are you sure?"

Connor smiled weakly, "Yep. Be back in a minute."

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Connor wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. He had said that he would get coffee for the group, and he would, after he had a little chat with the ARC's latest captive.

It took him only ten minutes to get from the lounge to the holding cells.

There were only two guards guarding the cell where K.C. was and they were both new recruits. All Connor had to do was disable the security cameras and audio and convince the guards that he had authorization to be here.

Yeah, this should be easy. He hoped.

It took him only a couple of minutes to disable the security cameras and audio. He waltzed up to the two guards.

He cleared his throat.

"I have authorization to be here, I'm inquiring the prisoner and am not to be interrupted. I'll call you if I need you." Connor spoke with enough authority that it not only convinced the guards, it surprised him as well given how tired he currently was.

The guards unlocked the door and moved aside so that Connor could enter the cell. K.C. stood up and waited for Connor to come closer as the doors were closed behind him.

"Well, I guess not everyone here is all that bad if I'm allowed to have visitors. To what do I owe the gratitude of your company?" K.C. asked as she sat back down.

"Actually, I'm here to find out why exactly you were snooping around my flat at three o'clock in the morning and caught near an anomaly not much later."

"Why is everyone so interested in my being here? As I said before it was pure-"

"Save it. I've already heard this story. You don't have to worry about making up stories on my account. I disabled the video and audio feed to this room."

"I knew you were good." she answered slightly mockingly.

Connor brushed it off. "Maybe you'd care to explain the anomaly device I found at the flat around the time you were apprehended?"

Kyra was shocked. She had a feeling someone would've found it eventually, and thankfully it wasn't the military men or Cutter. Connor would appreciate its importance and hopefully give it back to her so that she could get back to the mansion before Helen got back or Leek phoned and told her where exactly she was; whichever came first.

"That little piece of hardware my friend is something I wouldn't be playing around with if I were you. You have no idea about the power that little baby could generate. Just give it back to me, I'll disappear and we'll all pretend the whole thing never happened, yeah?"

"Not a chance." He replied.

Then again, maybe he wouldn't help her.

"I'm going to use it to save Abby's life and find my way back before anyone ever notices that I'm gone."

"And how long do you suppose that'll take a genius like you?" she cooed. "Hours? Days? Months?"

"However long it takes to find Helen and get the antidote." Connor replied sternly.

"Well, I'm sure she'll find me first." Kyra mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Good Luck on your little Crusade. Do you even realize, can you even fathom how many different dimensions there are out there? How many Helens there are hiding out there? It's not just chutes and ladders out there Connor, it's chess and whoever gets checkmated loses. Let's hope it's not us."

"H-how did you know my name?" Connor stuttered.

"It's not important anymore."

"Yes it is important, you know my name, but I don't even know what yours is. All you gave us is your initials."

"Trust me, if I gave my true name, I'd be in far more trouble than I'm already in." she paused as if thinking about something."

"You don't remember do you?" She inquired wondering if he even knew that she had kissed him.

"Remember what?"

"Never mind. Mark my words Connor, if you play with that machinery, you could get burned."

Connor stared at K.C. and then tapped on the door and the guards let him out. "This never happened. Understood?" he asked in his "official tone."

The guards nodded and Connor quickly left and enabled the security cameras and audio before returning to the lounge.

"What took you so long?" Stephen asked impatiently.

"I-I had to use the bathroom. I wasn't feeling well." Connor replied. 'that was the worst excuse I could've ever come up with.' he thought.

"What about the coffee?" Jenny asked calmly.

"The coffee?" Connor asked nervously as the two nodded their heads waiting for him to continue.

"The coffee is right here, Connor left it on the counter in the cafeteria." It was Cutter. Connor was saved. For now.

Suddenly, Lester's voice came over the P.A. "Cutter, get up to my office with your team now!"

"'What could he possibly have to yell at us for now?" Stephen asked still reeling from Lester's lecture before about safety.

"I think the blood test results are in." Cutter replied calmly as they made their way to Lester's office.

"Cutter," Connor asked as they neared the ramp.

"Yeah Connor?"

"I've just got to fix something on the anomaly detector real fast and then I'll be up."

Cutter looked up at Lester's office then back at the young man. "Make it quick, I'd hate to see Lester's head explode."

Connor laughed nervously, "won't take more than five minutes tops."

Cutter nodded and continued toward Lester's office with Stephen and Jenny while Connor ran toward the A.D.D. and began typing furiously at the keyboard.

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Shortly after Cutter, Jenny, and Stephen entered Lester's office, two guards escorted K.C. into the room and sat her down in the seat she had sat in only a few hours ago.

"It's good to be back." she said breaking the silence and leaning back in her seat.

Lester picked up a file folder from the table behind his desk and tossed it onto the desk in front of K.C. "Care to explain this?"

"What? Why you just threw papers at me or why you probably need some medication to deal with your anger issues?" K.C. answered smugly.

Cutter had to snicker at this, but immediately stopped the minute Lester tossed him a death glare.

"The blood tests did come back and you little miss do not exist in this time period or even this dimension for that matter." Lester explained.

K.C. rolled her eyes, "give the man a medal."

"I'm not finished. The test results did, however, reveal something that helped to pinpoint who your parents are." Lester flipped open the file. "it seems that in your blood we've found traces of Professor Cutter's DNA as well as traces of Ms. Lewis's but the DNA didn't exactly match up with Ms. Lewis's DNA which was surprisingly strange. So the 'C' in your initials presumably stands for Cutter, am I right? Care to tell us what the 'K' stands for?"

For the first time since her arrival to the ARC, Kyra sat in silence. Cutter looked at Jenny and Stephen looked back and forth between the pair and K.C.

Suddenly, Cutter noticed that Connor was nowhere in the room.

"Where's Connor?"

"He said he had to fix something on the anomaly detector remember?" Jenny replied absent-mindedly not taking her eyes off of K.C..

"That was awhile ago, he should've been up here by now." Stephen added starting to piece things together realizing that something was not right.

Leek entered the office, "according to security records, Mr. Temple left the building a quarter of an hour ago."

Cutter and Stephen raced out of Lester's office, and down the ramp, they looked everywhere where Connor should have been.

"Stephen, we need to get to Connor and Abby's flat, now!" Cutter yelled as he ran out of the ARC and jumped into one of the trucks with Stephen close behind him.

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Connor quickly grabbed everything he figured he'd need for wherever he might end up: his laptop, extra batteries, canteens filled to the brim with ice cold water, among other things. He'd only have a few moments before Cutter showed up to stop him from attempting to save Abby. He'd be damned if he let Abby die. He played around with a few buttons on the device K.C. had left behind and managed to open an anomaly, he knew it was reckless, but he'd figure out how to work it after he got threw the anomaly and closed it.

He quickly typed a text and sent it to Cutter, he didn't need Cutter of all people to think that he was a traitor. He looked around the room and noticed Rex had landed on the arm of the couch and stared at him chirping.

"Don't worry Rex, I'm coming back, hopefully with a cure for Abby." And with that he went through the anomaly closing it behind him.

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They wasted no time in getting there and ran several traffic lights along the way. As they ran up the stairs, Cutter received a text, but ignored it. They burst through the door to find it empty.

"Cutter, there's something I've got to tell you." Stephen said quietly.

Cutter looked at him expecting another bombshell that Connor may have been planning to betray them all along and Stephen knew about it. No, Connor would never do such a thing, would he?

"Connor told me a few days ago in the hospital with Abby that he'd gotten a call from his mother about visiting his deathly ill sister and leaving to get there early today, maybe that's where he's gone." Stephen explained.

Cutter looked at the slightly younger man, he actually looked like he was telling what he believed to be the truth.

Cutter sighed, "Stephen, I don't know how to tell you this, but Connor's an only child and his parents disowned him shortly after he joined the anomaly project. He must've found access to an anomaly somehow. Why he would do something like this, I have no idea."

Cutter's phone went off again as he remembered the text. He flipped open the phone and quickly glanced over the text:

_ADD has trap set 2 send fake_

_anomaly itll help u find traitor_

_theres a virus 4 traitor wont notice_

_til turns around & bites em_

_Im not traitor went to find cure_

It ended there. 'A cure for what?' Cutter thought and quickly closed his phone.

"What is it?" Stephen inquired.

"Nothing. Just a chain text. I deleted it. Let's get back to the ARC and tell the others."

"Tell them what exactly? We don't know what just happened. For all we know, Helen's kidnapped him."

That struck a chord. Nick spun around and grabbed Stephen by the shirt and slammed him up against a wall breaking a vase in the process. "Don't you ever say that again! What purpose could Helen possibly have for kidnapping Connor? Right now, we're going to head back to the ARC and explain to them that Connor's simply gone missing until we can figure out what has really happened. We tell them nothing more than that, understand?" Cutter released Stephen's shirt and the two headed back to the ARC in silence into yet another emotional train wreck.

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Wow, my longest chap yet! Not gonna talk long with this one cos I've got to get some sleep with the musical and everything this weekend. Can't believe Connor actually would do something like that, huh? From the next chap out, it's pure Stabby!! Maybe Abby will even wake up next chap, who knows? Next chap soon I promise! Remember, Reviews make everyone's day a little brighter, it only takes a minute, trust me.


	7. Waking Up

**Chapter 7: Waking Up**

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own anything except for my OC. =D

A/N: Sorry if it's a bit cheesy, and what not I tried to work this the best way I can. No flames, please, all will become clear in time, Promise!! ^^

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Everyone was unusually quiet at the ARC. It had only been a day, maybe less, since Connor's disappearance and supposed betrayal of the team. Cutter sat in his office going over and over again in his head about Connor's last cryptic text (that he told no one about) before he disappeared into the anomaly. He couldn't fathom what force would compel Connor to make such a rash decision.

Had Helen gotten to him like Stephen had suggested? Was she trying to somehow incorporate Connor into her master plan whatever that may be? No, he was starting to confuse Stephen's convictions with his own and he needed to keep a straight mind.

He rubbed either side of his head, these past 24 hours or so had revealed more to him than he had ever wanted to know. The strange girl they had apprehended in Connor and Abby's flat, prior to Connor's flight, had turned out to be his and possibly Claudia Brown's daughter.

Yet, K.C. didn't seem to have any of Claudia's qualities at all. She definitely had his disrespect for authority and his blue eyes, but she had Jenny's spunk. Though she didn't seem to exhibit any of Claudia's qualities, the strange thing was that K.C.'s hair was a cross between both Claudia's and Jenny's hair color.

Cutter jumped out of his reverie when he heard a knock on his door and Jenny entered without waiting for a response from Cutter.

She walked over and pulled up a chair, "Cutter, we need to talk."

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Stephen had been at the hospital with Abby for the past few hours. He was still dealing with the repercussions of Connor's disappearance and the discovery of Nick's daughter, who refuses to reveal where she came from and among other things, how she knows what she knows.

"Stephen?" a surprised voice called.

Stephen was pulled from his thoughts and suddenly realized that Abby was wide awake and talking just as if they were at work.

"Abby?!" he jumped out of his chair and got closer to her to make sure he wasn't dreaming and held her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been thrown in a washing machine, but other than that, I've never felt better" she took in her surroundings. "Stephen, why am I in a hospital?"

Stephen laughed softly, "I'll explain everything later, just let me call the doctor and see what he thinks."

A few minutes later, Dr. Baker was talking with the pair of them after having checked Abby's vitals and finding no trace whatsoever of the sickness that nearly claimed her life.

"It's really very strange," Dr. Baker remarked as he put the stethoscope over his head so that it was hanging on his neck again. "I've never seen anything like this. I-it's almost as if she was never sick in the first place."

"Can she go home?" Stephen asked hopefully.

The doctor seemed to have a sudden burst of energy as he made his way near the door. "If she's feeling fine, I don't see why not. However, I must recommend that she either exercise regularly at home or take physical therapy to regain all of the muscle mass that she's lost these past few weeks. Um, are you her boyfriend, Mr. Hart?"

Stephen looked at Abby who shot him a look and he turned back to Dr. Baker and replied, "Um, close friend from work actually, but I'll look after her."

"Very good, come back later this evening to fill out the paperwork and Miss Maitland will be all set." and with that, Dr. Baker left the room.

Abby gave Stephen a look, "why can't I go back to my own flat? Connor's there isn't he?"

Stephen stared at the floor, but looked up when Abby grabbed his arm and stared at him with pleading eyes, "Stephen, please tell me, what's going on?"

"Abby, about a month and a half ago, you got really sick." He took a deep breath and carefully chose his words. "You fell into a fever induced coma. You've been here in the hospital for nearly two months, but at least one of the team has been here every minute of the day waiting for a change. Connor spent most of his time between the ARC and here. He rarely slept and everyone soon became worried that something horrible was going to happen, so Cutter began sending him home, excluding him from missions, telling Connor to stop beating himself up about your illness."

"What happened?" Abby asked listening intently.

"Connor told me that he would be gone for a few days because he'd gotten a call from his mum saying that his sister was in the hospital and they needed him ASAP. He asked me not to tell Cutter anything because that would only complicate things, what he meant by that we'll probably never know.

Last night, we received an anomaly alert in your flat, where Connor happened to be sleeping at the time" Abby's hands flew up to her mouth expecting Stephen to tell her that some creature had come through and killed Connor.

"When we arrived," continued Stephen with a slight smirk, "we ended up apprehending a young girl, instead of a creature, who tried to escape into the anomaly. She refused to give us any information other than the fact that that her initials were "K.C." Naturally, Lester ordered a blood test to determine her identity only to find that she didn't exist in our timeline at all, but she's Cutter's and maybe Jenny's daughter."

"What do you mean 'maybe Jenny's daughter?'" Abby asked speculatively

"According to the blood tests, some of her blood was similar to Jenny's but it wasn't conclusively Jenny's."

"Claudia Brown?" Abby asked in a hushed voice.

"Well, that's what Cutter mumbled when the results were revealed. He and Jenny since then, haven't exactly been on speaking terms and Cutter's locked himself in his office."

"Yikes." Abby mumbled.

"Back to the problem at hand," Stephen said getting back to the point. "After that was revealed, Cutter noticed that Connor was missing. I had thought that Connor was working on the anomaly detector like he said he was going to, but Leek confirmed that Connor had left the building 15 minutes prior. Cutter and I raced toward the flat only to find Connor missing. Cutter got a text, but refused to tell me what it was other than the fact that it was some cryptic chain text that he deleted shortly after receiving it. I was then forced to tell him about Connor going to visit his sick sister, thinking that Connor had told me the truth; but Cutter had a revelation of his own. Connor was an only child and his parents disowned him shortly after finding out he left school to risk his life everyday working for a "shady operation" as they put it. The kid's a damn hero, no one outside the ARC knows it and his parents hate him for it."

"Th-that's horrible. I never knew. He always just seemed to grin and bare it and he's-he can't be gone there's just no way." Abby stuttered.

Stephen sat down on the hospital bed next to Abby and looked her straight in the eye, "Abby, he's gone, there's nothing we can do. There's no way of knowing where he's gone."

Abby, out frustration and helplessness given the current situation, futilely hit Stephen in the chest several times crying "he can't be gone, this just isn't happening. Tell me it's not true Stephen."

She eventually stopped and Stephen held her for several minutes until Abby suddenly looked up at him startled, "What about Caroline? Does she know?"

"Caroline's out of the picture, shortly after you were hospitalized, Connor dumped her because he couldn't find the time for her."

"Oh my God, what about Rex? And the rest of my lizards? Who's taking care of them?" Abby asked alarmed.

Stephen held her closer his voice soothing, "They're fine. Connor always made sure to take care of them, but since his disappearance, I think Nick's been taking care of them in between picking up the pieces."

Stephen stared at Abby for a few minutes and then stood up placing Abby back down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. "I'll be back in couple hours with some clothes, will you be okay? If not, I could have Jenny swing by."

Abby shook the thought of Stephen leafing through her clothes in her room and simply nodded her head. "I'll be fine. I'm just gonna order some food, eat, and hopefully get some fresh air while I'm at it or if they'll let me."

Stephen leaned in and kissed her forehead, "I'll be back before you know it."

He turned and said goodbye as he walked out the door, Abby waving back as he left.

She reached for the controller to request room service, but her hand dropped back down on the bed. She'd told Stephen that she would eat, but right now she put her head in her hands and cried.

Cried for Connor.

She cried that she'd been too sick to keep him out of trouble.

She cried because she would probably never see her best friend alive again.

She tried to remember that horrible dream she'd had that seemed all too real, hoping to find some clues as to what could have caused this rift between the team; but no matter how hard she tried, she kept drawing up blanks and ended up with a massive migraine.

Her food arrived shortly afterwards when the nurse came in and took her off the IV. As Abby ate her Jell-o, she thought of living with Stephen and her feelings for him.

It would obviously be completely different than living with Connor. Stephen kept a lot to himself, but apparently so did Connor. Abby wasn't completely sure if she still felt something between herself and Stephen, especially after Helen's bombshell.

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Stephen called Jenny on his way to Abby's flat, the phone rang once and Jenny picked it up sounding like the most pissed off human being you could ever possibly imagine.

"WHAT!?"

"Calm down, Jenny. I was just calling to tell you that Abby's woken up and I needed you to do me a fav-"

"I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION, AND YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY HELPING BY CALLING."

"All I wanted was for you to go sit with her and take care of the nosy doctor that's there and possibly fill out the paperwork. Please."

"Fine. I'll be there. Just give me a few minutes." Jenny replied her anger slowly departing.

"Thanks a bunch." and with that Stephen closed his phone and continued toward Abby's flat wondering what could've possibly upset Jenny that much.

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Hoped you liked it! Don't forget to read and review!!^^


	8. Circumstances Part 1

**Chapter 8: Circumstances Part 1**

**DISCLAIMER:** If it were called Possible Pictures and I could manage to locate some retcon by some miracle I could probably claim it, but unfortunately it's called **Impossible Pictures **and Retcon's a bit hard to come by what with Torchwood destroyed and all! ;P

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Everyone was unusually quiet at the ARC. It had only been a day, maybe less, since Connor's disappearance and supposed betrayal of the team. Cutter sat in his office going over and over again in his head about Connor's last cryptic text (that he told no one about) before he disappeared into the anomaly. He couldn't fathom what force would compel Connor to make such a rash decision.

Had Helen gotten to him like Stephen had suggested? Was she trying to somehow incorporate Connor into her master plan whatever that may be? No, he was starting to confuse Stephen's convictions with his own and he needed to keep a straight mind.

He rubbed either side of his head, these past 24 hours or so had revealed more to him than he had ever wanted to know. The strange girl they had apprehended in Connor and Abby's flat, prior to Connor's flight, had turned out to be his and possibly Claudia Brown's daughter.

Yet, K.C. didn't seem to have any of Claudia's qualities at all. She definitely had his disrespect for authority and his blue eyes, but she had Jenny's spunk. Though she didn't seem to exhibit any of Claudia's qualities, the strange thing was that K.C.'s hair was a cross between both Claudia's and Jenny's hair color.

Cutter jumped out of his reverie when he heard a knock on his door and Jenny entered without waiting for a response from Cutter.

She walked over and pulled up a chair, "Cutter, we need to talk."

"There's absolutely nothing to talk about Jenny. I know everything and I don't give a damn about that girl that's supposedly my daughter." Cutter snapped and began to randomly type on his computer pretending to do some sort of research.

Jenny was at a loss of words at first mainly because of Cutter's sudden hostility, but then she gathered some courage. "Listen, I know that you probably think that that girl is or was yours and Claudia Brown's daughter from the future or some parallel time; but what if it turns out that Helen is behind all of this, what if she's deliberately doing all of this to separate everyone?"

Cutter didn't turn from his laptop, "You know, you sound just like Stephen, in fact that's exactly what he said right after Connor disappeared. You two make quite a pair."

Jenny crossed her arms, "and just what is that supposed to mean?"

Cutter still didn't face her, but stopped typing and stared at the computer screen "Oh, I think you know exactly what it means. I thought you were engaged to whatshisface, but apparently you still playing the field."

Jenny caught on to what Cutter was playing onto and stood up and slammed his laptop shut. "Actually, what happened that night on the way to the hospital was exactly as I'd said it was. I forgot my phone at the house because I was more worried about getting to the hospital. My car broke down, I was about to call for help and that was when I realized that my phone wasn't with me. I tried to flag someone down hoping for either help fixing my car or at least a phone to call for help. Some guy pulled over and said that he'd help. He pulled a gun on me, flung me on the ground and was about to kill me when Stephen showed up and knocked him out cold. He tossed me his phone and I called the authorities. As soon as they arrived, they arrested the man and towed my car. I explained the situation to them and Stephen volunteered to drive me to the hospital."

Suddenly, Jenny's phone went off; but she didn't remove her hand from it's spot holding the laptop shut. "I've got to answer this."

"By all means, go ahead I'm sure I already know who it is." Cutter sneered

This pissed Jenny off causing her to take her anger out on the person on the receiving end of the phone.

"WHAT!?"

"Calm down, Jenny. I was just calling to tell you that Abby's woken up and I needed you to do me a fav-"

"I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION, AND YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY HELPING BY CALLING."

"All I wanted was for you to go sit with her and take care of the nosy doctor that's there and possibly fill out the paperwork. Please."

"Fine. I'll be there. Just give me a few minutes." Jenny replied her anger slowly departing.

"Thanks a bunch." Stephen replied and hung up the phone. Jenny did the same.

"Stephen I presume?"

"That's none of your business. And for your information, I don't have a fiancé anymore he broke it off. The reason I came to talk to you was to tell you that I'd help you get through this ordeal and that I loved you, you arse; but clearly I'm wasting my breath."

Jenny slammed her hands on the desk and proceeded toward the door. Just as she was about to open the door, Cutter slammed the door shut and pushed Jenny against the door. He crushed his lips against hers, at first she didn't resist, but then she reached a hand up and slapped him in the face and stormed out of his office.

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Stephen stopped at his apartment first to tidy up a bit before he went to Abby's to get some things for her. For the most part everything was clean, maybe he was just being paranoid. The dishes were done, the garbage he took out this morning and all that was left to check was the bedroom, because, well, he wasn't exactly sure. It was just some little niggling feeling in the back of his head that told him to check there as well.

Sure enough, there was Helen rolling around bare under the sheets in his bed. Oddly enough, this had no appeal whatsoever to Stephen.

"Hello, Stephen. I was wondering when you might come back we need to talk."

"You bet we do, all those anomalies you could jump through and you pick to come here and don't give me that line that this was the most convenient bed you could find with in a million years. I just got done burning the last mattress and sheets you laid on, now I've got to re-burn a perfectly good mattress and sheets and pillows and stop at Bed, Bath, and Beyond before the days done."

"Stephen, is something wrong?" Helen asked, trying to play innocent.

"Yeah, you need to get your clothes back on and leave before I get back and never come here again. You've caused enough problems, already."

"What do you mean, I mean, besides the obvious?"

"Where the hell is Connor? What did you do to him that he would betray us and disappear into an anomaly without any explanation whatsoever?"

"I can honestly say I haven't seen Connor Temple in the longest time, nor Nick for that matter. Only you."

For some reason, Stephen believed that for once in her life, Helen Cutter actually spoke the truth.

"Never mind. Just get your clothes on and be gone by the time I get home. I mean it." Stephen called as he left his flat.

Now came the real challenge, finding clothes for Abby without invading her privacy too much.

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What'd ya think? Part 2 coming soon!! Reviews make everyday brighter! ^^


	9. Circumstances Part 2

**Chapter 9: Circumstances Part2**

**DISCLAIMER: You know the drill!!**

A couple of announcements before the much awaited chapter!!

Firstly, thanks so much to all of you who read and review my stuff!!! It really means the world to me!! ^^

Secondly, I just started college a few weeks ago and the workload is horrendous! So, updates maybe slow, I'm working on them as much as humanly possible in the small amount of free time that I have. No Roads Left chap 2 should be up soon followed by Chap 3 of Who We Are Now, possibly the next chap of Chances Are and maybe even a new story, not entirely in that order though. ^^

Also, xcookiemonster94x sent me a message asking me to post this at the top of my updates and to ask all readers and reviewers to please sign this petition to save Primeval and demand a Series 4!!

Thanks!! Now, onto the story!!

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Jenny was briskly walking toward the ARC garage in all her high-heeled-glory. She was still clearly angered by Cutter's kiss and would like nothing more than to beat the living daylights out of him. But still, _he had kissed her_!

She stopped and mentally yelled at herself, 'it wasn't that good of a kiss anyway, so stop thinking about it!'

She did her best to ignore the mocking voice in the back of her head saying "you _liked_ it, no matter how much you hate him; you keep going back to him."

She had to put her anger aside and remember where it was that she was going exactly. She closed the door on the truck and was putting the key in the ignition when she suddenly remembered Stephen's phone call.

"Oh my God! Abby's woken up and waiting to be discharged from the hospital! I was supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago to sign her out!"

There was no time to think about how or why Abby was awake and well. Stephen had mentioned one of the doctors behaving strangely.

Jenny zipped out of the parking garage and sped toward the hospital. She picked up her mobile and phoned the ARC for a small group of military men giving them specific orders to follow her to the hospital; but to hang back till she gave a signal.

She cautiously walked down the hall and stopped at Abby's door.

Was it too good to be true?

Was this actually a dream?

She laughed at herself. She worked at the ARC, the Anomaly Research Center, for God's sakes. When the _hell_ was anything that happened, ARC-related, _ever _a dream?

Never.

Maybe a very livid nightmare; but rarely ever a dream.

Jenny took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Jenny!" Abby exclaimed overjoyed.

"Abby! Oh my God! How-how did you-how are you feeling?" Jenny sputtered out as she hugged Abby.

"Almost like a million if I could move my legs and arms and you weren't squeezing quite so tightly."

Jenny quickly let go of Abby and apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"It's alright, Jenny. The doctor said that it is only temporary paralysis because of the coma, but some exercise should help me regain my muscle loss."

"That's good," Jenny replied, slightly smiling. "How about I call the doctor, sign the discharge papers, and get out of here?"

Jenny's phone rang.

She looked at Abby apologetically, "excuse me" and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

It was one of the soldiers, Shawns, "we have some suspicious activity out here in the parking lot."

"What kind of suspicious activity?"

"There's a crazy, old doctor running paper work and what appear to be blood samples to his car shouting 'I'm rich! I'm rich!'"

"That must be him, move all available men to that location now, do not let him leave! And send someone up here to assist me. After you arrest him, transport the paperwork and blood samples to the ARC immediately."

"Yes ma'am!"

Jenny hung up the phone and looked at Abby, "well, I guess it's leave now, paperwork later."

"What about clothes? I can't just leave like this. Stephen hasn't come back yet."

Jenny stopped and thought for a minute and remembered that Abby's clothes that she had been wearing when she was brought in had been sterilized and placed in the drawer of the nightstand.

Jenny quickly pulled out the clothes. "Here Abby, I help you. We need to get out of here as fast as possible, one of the military men is coming up and we're getting out of here. It's not safe anymore here."

Jenny quickly got Abby dressed, but, unfortunately, Abby's shoes had been destroyed by the hospital considering the possibly of contamination. Shawns personally came to help Jenny with Abby.

"Is the situation under control?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Shawns answered while scooping Abby up into his arms. "I had one team transport the items back to the ARC and another take the doctor into custody, but what do you want us to do with him?"

"Strip him of his rank and credentials, it's really the only thing we can do, other than make sure that he never works in another hospital again. If he loses all of his credibility, who will believe him? We don't have any time right now to deal with this. Just blind fold him and put him in one of the holding cells away from the ARC's current resident until Lester and I figure out how to deal with him. Let's go."

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Stephen called the maintenance of the building that he lived in and had the locks changed and also had the mattress, bed sheets and pillows replaced. He now stood outside of Abby and Connor's flat. They had moved here after Abby's former flat mate returned and Abby had finished flat sitting. He couldn't lie about this place, he had only been here twice, and that was the night when they had apprehended K.C. and Connor disappeared into the anomalies.

He took a deep breath; this was not going to be easy. He had always fancied Abby, and even after what Helen had done to ruin everything, he still fancied her. He was jealous that Connor had lived with Abby and had a somewhat deeper bond with the blond haired girl; but what he was about to do was something Connor could only fantasize about. (A/N: don't get ahead of me on this people! ;P)

He was about to go through Abby's clothes to get enough that she would need during her stay with him. This is probably the most awkward things could get while Abby was living with him. He paused. He liked the sound of that: of Abby living with him. It may seem awkward at first, but maybe in time, Abby would grow to like him again. Hopefully, the day would come when Connor would be able to return and maybe then Connor would find that special someone.

He mentally kicked himself. What the hell was he thinking? Here he was making plans of a future that may or may not include Abby and a future the Connor may or may not have. He pushed the thought to the back of his head and entered their flat.

The broken vase still lay on the floor, dirt and plant everywhere from the night Cutter had slammed him against the wall for speaking out of turn. Those eight years that Helen had been gone were the best and the worst. The best because Cutter had trusted him completely and the worst because Cutter was basically a hollow, workaholic shell. He was never as energetic as he usually is now.

Rex chirped, happy for human company and landed on Stephen's shoulder.

"Hello Rex, it's a shame that the flat I live at doesn't allow pets, because I'm sure that out of any of us left on the team, you would surely cheer Abby up."

Rex chirped once more before flying up into the rafters. Stephen continued up the stairs and toward Abby's vacant bedroom. Having passed Connor's equally empty room on his way to Abby's, it was no surprise that Abby's room was much cleaner than Connor's room. Stephen looked around and saw an empty hamper sitting in the corner of Abby's room.

Stephen grabbed that hamper and proceeded to the dressers.

"Okay Stephen," he said aloud to himself, "you-you can do this. It's for Abby and nothing more. Just grab as much clothes as you can, put them in the hamper, and forget you were ever here. Yeah, right."

There were seven drawers. Stephen took another deep breath and opened the first dresser. There were assorted pairs of socks, underwear and bras. He quickly closed the drawer his face jumping to a shade of dark scarlet. This was wrong. Surely there was some law against this. He thought he could handle this simple mission, but he couldn't.

And then he had an idea.

He ran down to the kitchen and grabbed a pair of tongs. Then, he ran back upstairs to Abby's room and grabbed several pairs of everything out of the first drawer using the tongs. He then placed the tongs on top of the dresser and put several more outfits, jeans, and shirts in the hamper.

After he was satisfied with the hamper being full, Stephen closed the hamper, lifted it up and headed out of the flat, locking the door behind him.

As he loaded the truck, his cell phone rang.

It was Jenny.

"Hello?"

"Stephen? You were right about the doctor; he was trying to run away with Abby's case files and blood samples. We arrested him; but you need to come get Abby, she's with me right now, where do you want to pick her up?"

"Can you meet me outside my flat? I'll pick her up there. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, we'll be there in five minutes."

"'k, bye."

Stephen hung up the phone, got behind the wheel, and prepared to possibly begin another chapter in his life.

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Kyra sat in her cell more bored than anyone could ever imagine. She almost welcomed the death sentence Helen might give her. Anything that would save her from this boredom. It was almost inhumane how bored they were making her by keeping her locked up. It wasn't fair, not at all.

They had brought her some food a quarter of an hour ago, but she was too bored to even eat that horrible meal that they had saddled her with.

'Wait a minute,' she thought, 'they did give me a tin cup. If they won't give me something to do to keep myself from going mental, then I'll just have to start up some trouble.'

She clapped her hands together and rubbed them together devilishly. Things were about to get interesting.

She picked up the tin cup and began to drag it back and forth across the bars.

"100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer, ya take one down, pass it around, 100 bottles of beer on the wall."

The guard on duty could only watch in amazement, while trying to remain his composure. This was the first prisoner that they had ever had that had even attempted to make a ruckus.

His amazement was ended when Sir James Lester came stepping down the stairs and yelled, "I know it might very hard for you to resist the genes you were given, but do you honestly think it would kill you to keep the noise down? We can hear your obnoxious little song all the way upstairs!"

Kyra stopped for a minute and looked at Lester blankly. Then began dragging the tin cup back and forth across the bars calling in an over exaggerated voice "Arms for the poor, Arms for the poor."

Lester gave her a stern look of disapproval and she could only smile and "Come on gov, I'm bored out of my mind what do you expect me to do?"

The look on Lester's face turned to that of sheer anger as he rushed over to the holding cell she was in.

"I _expect_ you to tell us _exactly_ why you're here and what your real name is."

Kyra looked up at him, "Why, it's elementary, my dear Watson. You think you managed to uncover my last name. Would you be so bold as to (she made finger/air quotes) "deduce" what my first name is?"

"I am not about to stoop to your level and play along with your ridiculous shenanigans."

"Level? I didn't know we were playing levels and shenanigans* (*A/N: it's not a real game I made it up). I love that game! But, I'm pretty sure that you're losing."

Lester sighed deeply, "Your sarcasm has been noted, but unappreciated. I will find out who you are and you will be in more trouble than you could ever imagine." And with that, the great Sir James Lester walked back to his office, more frustrated than he had previously been.

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Nick Cutter sat in his very dim office; the only light was the tiny desk lamp to his right. He kept replaying the scene in his head.

_"Stephen I presume?"_

_"That's none of your business. And for your information, I don't have a fiancé anymore he broke it off. The reason I came to talk to you was to tell you that I'd help you get through this ordeal and that I loved you, you arse; but clearly I'm wasting my breath."_

_Jenny slammed her hands on the desk and proceeded toward the door. Just as she was about to open the door, Cutter slammed the door shut and pushed Jenny against the door. He crushed his lips against hers, at first she didn't resist, but then she reached a hand up and slapped him in the face and stormed out of his office._

He did love Jenny, or at least the Claudia Brown aspect of Jenny. He probably shouldn't have done what he did; but it seemed right at the time to crush his lips against her perfectly sculpted lips.

He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and began to slowly drink. Everything else was going all to hell, why shouldn't he drink to forget his problems? The fact that he had pushed everyone away? That the team was crumbling from the inside? That he had probably just lost the only woman that he could ever love? The possibility that his ex-wife had seduced yet another one of his students?

No, Connor wasn't that stupid. Maybe a lovesick young genius in love with a former zookeeper; but not stupid. Something else must have happened to Connor and the girl in the holding cell whose last name is supposedly "Cutter" held the answer.

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Connor shifted the backpack on his back. He had been walking for hours, or maybe days, he wasn't exactly sure. What he was somewhat sure of was his location. Somewhere in the Cretaceous. It was an endless forest it seemed and somewhere out there lurking was Helen Cutter.

Connor dug in his pocket and pulled a picture of Abby out and looked at it. It was a picture of the day they had taken Rex to a private park. He had taken the picture. She looked so happy and healthy; but now, it looked as though she might never be able to look that way again. At least, not until he found Helen and forced her to hand over an antidote.

Connor froze when he heard several twigs snap. He had to find cover and fast. Finding Helen could wait until tomorrow, but if he ever wanted the chance to confront her face to face, he would have to actually make it there alive.

He noticed to huge trees that had grown fused together making a sort of naturally made tree house. He started to move slowly toward it.

That was when he heard the noise. The sound of the raptors. He slowly turned around and noticed several of them, 200 yards and closing, weaving in and out of trees predatorily towards him. He turned on his heel and ran as fast as humanly possible, until he tripped. His foot was caught in an overgrown root. He tried to wriggle free as the prehistoric beasts closed in. He slipped his foot out of the shoe, grabbed the shoe and continued to run until he found himself climbing up the tree for dear life.

He quickly scaled the tree and got high enough up that the raptors could not reach him, not even by jumping. They would probably stay at the base of the tree snapping for a few hours. Connor would continue his search for Helen in the morning, but right now he would rest, and hopefully not fall out of the tree. The raptors made a sound that Connor assumed was something similar to disappointment that they had lost a decent meal.

"Damn it all!" Connor realized that he had dropped the picture of Abby while running away from the raptors.

He would never find it now, he would just have to hope that memory wouldn't fail him and that he could remember Abby's face until he managed to get back to her.

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Oliver Leek sat in his car somewhere in an abandoned parking lot waiting for Helen. It was already three in the morning and he had to be at the ARC by eight. He wished that Helen would make their meetings earlier in the night.

It didn't really matter that much now though, because as soon as Helen finished helping him collect the rest of the creatures, he would have no more need for her and would have her, her little follower, Cutter and his team fed to the creatures. It was only a matter of time.

Suddenly, the back door of the car opened and Leek knew that Helen Cutter had finally arrived.

"Hello, Oliver." she greeted darkly.

"Helen."

"Status report."

"Well, um, well, the ARC team seems to be pitted against each other at the moment, because they're not so certain on whom to trust. I'm not entirely sure of the details, only that Connor Temple has gone missing in an anomaly related incident." Leek sputtered.

""Yes, I heard a similar story of Connor from Stephen. Apparently, he and Nick believe that I'm behind it. As amusing as that is, I can honestly say that for once, I'm not; but I'm sure that he'll turn up sooner or later and find that the world he left behind will be very much changed." Helen chuckled darkly.

"Oh and there was another thing, the ARC has a recent prisoner."

"Who?"

"That girl, Kyra, that you usually never let stray. She was found and arrested in Temple's flat trying to escape through an anomaly just hours before he disappeared."

Helen's knife was suddenly at Leek's throat, "How did this happen?"

"I-I don't know. But what I do know is that his very presence is one of the things that are tearing the team apart."

Helen took the knife away and sheathed it. "Well, this could work to my advantage, and when we take over the ARC, I will send her back to the hideaway. You just keep the charades up a little longer. Good bye Leek."

And then Helen was gone. Leek rubbed his throat at the place where the knife was and exhaled deeply. He turned the ignition and returned home to get the few hours of sleep that he would need to get through the day tomorrow.

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Sorry it was a bit long. What did you think?? Please review and let me know what you think!! ^^


	10. Heart to Heart Part 1

**Chapter 10: Heart to Heart Part 1**

**DISCLAIMER: Still Don't Own It!**

* * *

Cutter made his way down to the holding cells where, K.C., his apparent daughter, was being kept. He tried to think about what he wanted to say, but the whiskey seemed to be clouding his judgment.

He walked drunkenly down the stairs, tripping a few times, but managing to catch himself using the railing. He was surprisingly able not to slur his words together when he approached the guard.

"Turn the c-cameras off unt-til I tell you to turn them back on, understand?" Cutter ordered.

"Sir, are you-are you well?" the guard asked fear and worry lining his voice.

"Of course I am! Now t-t-turn off the damn cameras or else!"

"Ye-yes, sir." The guard quickly turned off all of the security cameras surrounding K.C.'s cell.

"Thank you," Cutter replied as he walked through the main door leading to the holding cells.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier……_

Kyra lay on her bed in her cell musing.

'When is Helen going to come? I have _never_ been so bored. At least if they gave me something to do other than annoy the hell out of their "boss," I would be fine. I wonder what Helen's gonna say when she does eventually come for me.'

Kyra thought about it for a few moments, 'probably nothing. She might just chuck me back through the anomaly and back to the mansion where I'll die of boredom. I wonder, though, if Cutter really is my father. Helen told me that she had saved me from a dimension that was about to collapse and that I had no one, only her. As long as I listened and did as she told me everything would be fine.'

She thought about it a bit more. 'Helen wouldn't have lied to me about my parents, would she?'

Kyra tossed the very thought of Helen betraying her aside.

'I should probably stop thinking about it. I'm getting myself worked up about nothing. What Helen and I were doing with the anomalies is right. We're going to stop the predators from taking over. But, what about Connor? Is he dead? Did he even come back? And why does Helen want Cutter and Stephen killed anyway? Because they refuse to help in our missions, maybe."

Just then, she heard Cutter yelling at the guard and heard the main door to the cells open revealing Cutter.

Kyra jumped up and clapped her hands together, smiling, "Ha ha! I knew you'd come visit me eventually! I was getting so aggravated by that silly man with the sarcasm."

Cutter's words began to slur again, "I d-d-didn't come h-here to see you. I came to find out w-w-why the hell you're here and why m-my team is falling apart. Where the hell is Connor?"

"You drunk?" she asked cautiously.

Cutter slammed his hands against the bars, "Answer the q-question!"

She shrugged, "hmm your guess is as good as mine. He could be here, there, or anywhere. There's really no telling." She caught herself, "Not that I know _anything_ about his disappearance."

"You s-sound like H-H-Helen, which might explain the chaos you've caused s-s-so far."

"Helen? Hmm, never heard of her." Helen had taught her well, if you ever get caught, play dumb, and don't answer anything that they might be able to use against you.

"The cameras are off. Now who sent you and what's y-your name?" Cutter explained as if trying to clear any doubt she seemed to be hiding.

"I highly doubt that, but then again you don't seem to enjoy following the rules very much do you?" She countered.

Cutter smirked. "Why would I lie about that?"

"For the same reason I refuse to give my name and intentions, to fool people into hysterics."

Cutter frowned slightly, "that's not what I'm trying to do. I just want to know where Connor is and if Helen has anything to do with this."

Kyra sat there and thought about Cutter's words for a few moments. "Tell ya what, let me out of this cell, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, find Connor, and get out of your hair. Do we have an accord?" She stuck out her hand."

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you?"

"You need me."

"Yeah? And how do I know that the moment an anomaly appears you won't just take off like Helen did?"

"You don't. And who is this Helen you keep talking about?" She stuck her hand out again. "Well, what do you have to lose?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well, you could keep moping about drinking whiskey and keep me locked up in here, _or_ you could let me out of here, let me join the team, and I'll try to find Connor for you if it's that important to you, dad."

Cutter stumbled back a bit. "W-what did you just call me?"

"Well, you know, if I'm apparently your kid, I should at least be entitled to call you dad or something because our relationship might not work out then."

"You know, I really wish that I could keep denying that you're my daughter, but then it would be a complete mystery as to how you have such disrespect for anything anyone says to you."

"I'm guessing that's a yes and that you're going to let me out of this cage right?"

"Maybe; but first, tell me your _real_ name."

"Let me out of the cage and I'll answer whatever questions you'll throw at me."

Cutter thought about it and winked, "wait right here."

"Super! Wait, where'd the slur go?"

"I've built up a bit of a tolerance to alcohol over the years." Cutter disappeared behind the door he'd come through earlier.

"Absolutely not!" Lester slammed some paperwork on his desk. "I refuse to let that time-hopping rugrat roam free in the ARC!"

"She's in her twenties." Cutter cocked his head to the side, "Why? Are you afraid that she'll run amok, or that she'll ruin your office the first chance she gets?"

Lester didn't look up from his paperwork, "Both. And besides, I thought you wanted her to rot in the cell. Isn't she the reason your little ragtag team is falling apart? What are you going to do when you find out that she is in league with Helen?"

Cutter thought about it for a moment. "I'll take full responsibility for her and shoot her if need be."

Lester stacked his papers and looked up at Cutter. "Good to know that our "fearless leader" will kill one of his own from another dimension; now I've seen everything. She stays in this building under military surveillance, do you understand? And how do you plan on finding Connor Temple?"

"I'll figure something out." Cutter replied.

He turned and walked out of the office.

"Make sure she doesn't violate the health and safety regulations of this building!" Lester called after him.

He went back to sorting through his papers and mumbled, "Somehow, I know that I'm going to regret this."

* * *

Sorry it's so short! The next part is gonna be some Stabby fluff…Promise…Please Review!! ^^


	11. Heart to Heart Part 2

**Chapter 11: Heart to Heart Part 2**

**DISCLAIMER:**** DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE**

* * *

Abby sat on the comfortable sofa, supported by several pillows, in Stephen's flat patiently waiting while Stephen made dinner in the kitchen. There was something completely strange, yet right, like this is how it was supposed to be all along. Abby smiled to herself, and then quickly pushed the thought out of her head.

Connor was missing and she was just sitting here musing on how wonderful life with Stephen would be. Though, honestly, she couldn't really do anything to help her lost friend, if she technically couldn't move and had no way of jumping through any anomalies not knowing where they may lead.

Stephen came into the living room and sat down next to Abby. "Dinner's almost done."

Abby only nodded her head.

Stephen frowned, but then tried to lighten the mood by reminiscing. "Remember when we first met?"

Abby looked at him. "Yeah, why?"

"I asked you to have dinner with me and you promised to spend the night to stay for breakfast the next day, remember?"

"Stephen, don't be ridiculous."

"Who's being ridiculous? I'm just pointing out the irony." Stephen laughed nervously then got up and went over to his stereo and started playing a song.

Abby gave him a look. "Stephen, what are you doing?"

Stephen walked back over to her and held out his hand. "Do you want to dance?"

"You know I can barely stand. I'll collapse."

Stephen shook his head. "Not if I hold you and you're standing on my feet."

Abby rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, I guess one dance couldn't hurt."

As they began to dance, Abby asked, "I didn't know you listened to classical music, Stephen."

Stephen smirked while they continued to sway to the music, "there's a lot we don't know about each other."

Abby smiled somewhat uncomfortably, "it's the job, I guess."

Stephen noticed this, "Abby, I am sorry for what happened to Connor, but we're doing everything possible to find a way to get him back."

"I-it just bothers me that I'm incapacitated and can't get back on the team to find him."

Stephen hugged Abby, "don't worry, we'll find him, I promise."

They stood there for a moment while the music droned on in the background, until a strange smell filled the room.

"I smell something burning." Abby commented.

"Dammit!" Stephen gently placed Abby back on the sofa and ran back into the kitchen.

Shortly afterwards, they ate the meal which was surprisingly amazing, despite the fact that it was somewhat caramelized.

"That was an amazing dinner, thank you." Abby commented.

"Um, you're welcome. You can just leave the plates there, I'll get them later." Stephen walked over to Abby's side.

"I'll help you to bed." He gently picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.

If there wasn't so much awkwardness between the two of them at that moment, it would've looked as though they were newly weds walking through the door.

Stephen laid Abby down on the bed, "Will you be able to change your clothes by yourself?-I mean-I-I don't want to invade your personal space or anything. Oh! I forgot to bring your clothes up from the truck I'll run back down and get them."

"Stephen-Stephen." Abby grabbed his arm before he could run out of the room. "It's okay, really, don't worry about it. I'll just sleep in these clothes for tonight. We'll settle things tomorrow, yeah?"

Stephen seemed to calm down and smiled, "Yeah, well, um, I'll be on the couch. Call if you need anything. Se-see ya in the morning."

"Night." Abby called as Stephen shut the lights off and left the door open a crack.

'I'm going build my strength back up,' Abby thought as she gazed up at the ceiling, 'and find out what really happened while I was out all those weeks.'

But for now, Abby relished lying in the comfortable bed in Stephen's flat while he slept on the couch in the living room like the gentleman Abby always thought he was.

* * *

Sorry it's so short again. =(

My muse has obtained shape-shifting powers and can't decide which fandom it favors at the moment. =P

Reviews are the life-blood of my muse!


	12. Surprise

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!!**

**Chapter 12: Surprise**

It had been a few weeks since Abby had moved in with Stephen. Neither of the two had returned to the ARC in those few weeks. For some odd reason, there was no anomaly alerts lately and neither of them could figure it out. They had also not heard from Nick, Jenny, or even Lester for that matter.

Abby had almost completely regained enough of her strength that she would be able to return to the ARC that very day at a temporary desk job.

Stephen had gotten up early that morning for his daily jog. Abby was still asleep when he left.

Stephen stopped jogging when he felt his mobile go off and paused his iPod.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Stephen." It was Nick Cutter.

"Nick? Where the hell has everybody been? It's been weeks? Why haven't there been any anomalies? Not that I'm complaining."

"I'll explain when you get here. Isn't Abby starting back at the ARC today? I'll see the two of you when you get here."

"But Ni-" Cutter had already hung up the phone.

"That's strange. Cutter usually doesn't act like that. Something must be up."

Stephen glanced at his watch. Six-thirty a.m. Still time to get back to the flat, get a shower, and head out to the ARC.

He put his phone back in his pocket, plugged his ear phones in, hit play and began the long jog back to his flat. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful there hadn't been any anomalies lately. It gave him and Abby a chance to have a normal life and grow closer together. It was almost as if they were already married. Almost.

* * *

He got back to the flat around seven. His shirt soaked with sweat. He kicked his shoes off at the door, still listening to the music his iPod provided him. He walked further into the flat taking his sweat soaked shirt and sweat pants off. (A/N: Don't get ahead of me, he's still wearing boxers and socks. XD) He walked into his room and tossed the smelly garments into the hamper and headed over to his dresser.

He shut off the iPod when he realized that Abby wasn't anywhere insight.

He heard water running in the bathroom and for a moment thought that Helen had gotten back into the flat.

Suddenly the water turned off and rustling noises came from the bathroom.

"Abby?" Stephen called hoping to confirm it was in fact Abby and not Helen.

He got to the bathroom door and just as he reached for the doorknob to open the door, the door swung open.

It happened too fast for either of them to realize.

Abby, wrapped in a towel, had swung the door open and in her rush wasn't able to stop herself from slipping on the water and crashing into Stephen as the two of them fell on the floor.

Abby looked at the surprised look on Stephen's face. "Oh my God, Stephen, I am so sorry--and what are you doing parading around in your boxers for?"

Stephen grabbed her as she went to get up and crushed his lips against hers. Abby returned his kiss, but then realized what time it was.

"Stephen, we're gonna be late." She stated between their kiss.

She quickly got up and checked to make sure the towel was still around her. Stephen still lay on the floor.

"Yeah, good morning to you too." He replied getting back up on his feet. "I just got back from jogging and was about to get in the shower before we head to the ARC. Cutter called and wants us there ASAP."

"Cutter? Is it an anomaly?"

"I don't think so. He wasn't very specific about why we needed to be there in such a hurry." Stephen answered as he wandered into the shower, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Cutter walked into his office, where K.C. awaited him sitting in the chair opposite his.

"Well, it's been nearly a month K.C. and I still have no answers to any of my questions that I've asked you. Do you want to go back to that cell?"

"Come on professor, we both know you're not gonna shove me back in that hell hole."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah I do."

"Come on in, boys." Cutter called as two guards came in and approached K.C.

"Okay, Okay. You win. I'll talk."

"You guys can go back to you duties." Cutter ordered and the guards left.

'I guess Helen's really not gonna come save me. I'm stranded.' K.C. thought.

"What is your name?"

K.C. took a deep breath. "If you really must know, it's Kyra Caterina Cutter. I'm 27 years old. I have absolutely no idea where I hail from."

"Do you work for Helen?"

"How many times have I told you that I have no idea who that broad is?"

"Fair enough. Why were you in Connor and Abby's flat the night he disappeared?"

"I dunno, I was time hopping, it seemed like a good idea at the time." She shrugged.

"You're lying." Cutter raised his brow.

"I'm hungry." Kyra leaned forward accenting each syllable.

"Where's Connor, now?"

"Like I said before. He could be here, there, anywhere. There literally is no way of telling. You'd have to let me go find him before he gets himself killed if he hasn't already."

"How was he even able to create an anomaly?"

"He stole my tech. If he gets to the future, it'll be all over. That's why you need to let me go find him."

"This tech you had, it has the ability to create and close anomalies?"

"Duh."

"How?"

"I dunno, I nicked it from some bloke in the future. I was test-driving it for him."

"That's enough for now. I'll get you something to eat." Cutter announced as he headed toward the door.

"I have a question for you now professor."

Cutter turned around. "What?"

"When am I gonna be allowed to leave this place?"

"That's up to how much you cooperate and whether or not Lester deems you trustworthy, which will probably never happened cos he still doesn't even trust me." Cutter replied as he exited and locked the door behind him.

* * *

Stephen and Abby arrived at the ARC around eight-fifteen a.m., much to Lester's dismay.

"You're late." Lester greeted.

"Traffic was murder." Stephen replied.

Lester rolled his eyes. "Oh, I hate freelance staff."

"Where's Cutter?"

"I have absolutely no idea as to the whereabouts of your fearless leader. You might want to check his office." Lester replied returning to his office.

Stephen and Abby arrived outside of Cutter's office to find Jenny standing outside of the door.

"Hi Jenny." The pair greeted.

"Hello. Abby I see you're back." Jenny smiled.

"For a temporary desk job, you know, til I can get back out on the field." Abby replied.

Jenny noticed that Abby and Stephen were holding hands and she envied them. If only Cutter would treat her with the same respect Stephen showed Abby.

"So what's going on?" Stephen asked.

"I don't really know, Cutter called me down here saying he has some surprise secret he needs to share with the team, but he refused to open the door til you two got here."

"Sorry we kept you waiting." Stephen apologized.

"No, it's fine." Jenny replied as she knocked on the door. "They're here, now can we come in?"

Cutter was suddenly at the door and let them in.

"You!" Jenny spat angrily.

Stephen pushed Abby behind him and aimed his hand-gun at K.C. who was sitting in the chair opposite Cutter's eating a bowl of cereal.

* * *

Ah the ever enjoyable cliffhanger! Just kidding! I'll try to be a bit faster with updates.

The shower scene earlier was the product of reading The Nagging Cube's musey comment while watching The Proposal on dvd. ^^;

Please review!!


	13. Tearing At The Seams

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!!!**

**Chapter 13: Tearing At The Seams**

"So what's going on?" Stephen asked.

"I don't really know, Cutter called me down here saying he has some surprise secret he needs to share with the team, but he refused to open the door til you two got here."

"Sorry we kept you waiting." Stephen apologized.

"No, it's fine." Jenny replied as she knocked on the door. "They're here, now can we come in?"

Cutter was suddenly at the door and let them in.

"You!" Jenny spat angrily.

Stephen pushed Abby behind him and aimed his hand-gun at K.C. who was sitting in the chair opposite Cutter's eating a bowl of cereal.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Cutter interjected as he cut between K.C. and his team.

"How the hell did you get out of the cell?" Jenny fumed.

K.C. sharply swallowed some of her cereal and replied. "Oh, I'd love to tell the story, but I think the _professor_ has a much more interesting story."

Stephen, Abby, and Jenny looked to Cutter.

"I-I" he looked at K.C. shooting her a dirty look and returned to his team when she waived her hand and continued to consume her cereal. "I called you all here to say that I'm sorry."

"For what?" Abby inquired.

"For everything. For shouting at you, treating you all very, very poorly. I have been taking Connor's disappearance out on you all and-"

"'scuse me." K.C. interrupted setting the empty cereal bowl on the desk. "But do you have any popcorn by any chance? This is like one of those movie moments I hear so much about."

"What? No." Cutter replied.

K.C. slumped back in the chair sipping on some coffee.

"Anyway, now that we have our little friend, K.C., here, we'll be able to get the anomaly alert system back up and running." Cutter continued.

They were once again interrupted by the sound of K.C. spitting her coffee out.

"What?!? I agreed to answer any questions you had not fix your clubhouse equipment." K.C. objected.

Cutter pulled out a tape recorder and played it: "_I'll try to find Connor for you if it's that important to you,_ _and I'll answer whatever questions you'll throw at me._"

"You bastard! You manipulated the tape!"

Cutter tilted his head and half-smiled, "Maybe, but a promise is a promise."

"Yeah and a virus is a virus." K.C. mumbled.

"What?" Jenny asked.

K.C. stood up and snatched the recorder from Cutter's hands. She switched it to record.

"So let's get one thing straight, shall we?" She spoke with the device relatively close to her mouth. "I'll fix your clubhouse tech, but I want something in return and if my demands are not met,"

"You'll what? What can you do if you're a prisoner here?" Stephen asked.

"You'd be surprised. Anyways, I want better accommodations, new clothes, _and_ a spot on this lovely dysfunctional team."

She aimed the device towards the ARC team. Each of them looking at each other in disbelief.

"The new clothes thing is a done deal; the accommodations are up to James Lester…." Cutter explained.

"But you're not getting a spot on this team." Jenny concluded.

"I-I'm sorry. Is this like marriage counseling or something?" K.C. asked sarcastically. Then she looked at Stephen, "really Stephen, put the gun down, I travelled enough places to know that it's not easy to think with a gun pointed at you."

"Who are you, _exactly_?" Jenny asked.

K.C. hit stop on the recorder.

"You seem to know an awful lot about everyone, whereas we know nothing about you."

That's when K.C. noticed Abby. "You, you're awake! I mean, hello strange person I have never seen before, you must be Abby."

"How do you mean 'you're awake?'?" Abby asked stepping out from behind Stephen.

"Nothing, I overheard the guards talking about someone named Abby was in a coma and woke up fit as a fiddle. Using my deductive reasoning, I assumed it was you."

"You're lying again." Cutter stated.

"I believe the correct term is 'covering my ass.' I can't tell you people anything else. It will destroy the future. Now am I on the team or not?"

"That depends. What is so horrible about the future that you can't tell us?"

K.C. thought for a moment. 'I'm dead, so dead. When Helen finds me, if Leek doesn't tell her first.'

"Death. So-so much death. The ARC in ruins. Future predators everywhere." She mumbled.

"She's crazy." Stephen concluded. "Why the hell did you let her out Nick?"

"She can help us, she knows just enough about the anomalies if not more than Connor. With her help we can find Connor."

"Cutter, you're insane. I refuse to stay on this project any longer. I-I'm requesting a transfer." Jenny spoke tears welling up in her eyes.

Suddenly, the anomaly alert went off. They all looked at each other.

"After this alert." Jenny finished.

"Let me prove myself." K.C. interjected.

"Absolutely not!" Stephen cut in.

"If I screw up, throw me back in the cell, I don't care, just let me help." She used the puppy eyes trick. "You're two team members short; think of me as-as a fill in, for now."

"You won't run away?" Cutter asked.

"Cross my heart, hoping not to die." K.C. smiled.

They headed out into the main operations wing.

K.C. pounded furiously at the keyboard, and in moments produced the location.

Stephen looked at Abby.

"Be careful." Abby cautioned looking him in the eye.

Stephen leaned in and kissed Abby's lips. "I will."

He turned to head toward the garage, Abby's hand slipping out of his.

Lester came out of his office as he watched the team head toward the garage and ran to stop them.

"And where the hell do you think you're going? You're a prisoner of the ARC last time I checked." Lester shouted at K.C.

"Just some community service, gov. Be back in a jiffy."

"Who authorized this?"

"I did." Cutter replied as he climbed into the driver seat.

"And who the hell do you think you are?"

"Freelance staff." Cutter replied with a smile. As he hit the gas, speeding out of the garage as Lester was left cursing at the top of his lungs in the garage.

* * *

Please review!


	14. Under The Gun

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!!!**

**Chapter 14: Under the Gun**

"So, what are we looking for?" Stephen asked as he unloaded the guns.

Luckily for them, the alert came from the Forest of Dean. At least, it was lucky that they wouldn't have to worry about media control.

"An anomaly, duh." K.C. replied handing out her hand for a weapon.

"Yeah, you're not getting a gun. I still don't trust you." Stephen replied.

"Cutter!" K.C. whined.

"This is where it all started." Cutter murmured as he took a step closer to the forest.

"What do you mean 'This is where it all started'?" Jenny asked coming up beside him.

"This is where the anomaly research project was born. Ten years ago when Helen disappeared and everything, all of us got involved two years ago following some skeptical lead about monsters in the woods; but it was all true. Helen's got to be behind this, this time. She's in there somewhere waiting for us to make the first move." Cutter explained.

"We're gonna have to split up." Cutter announced walking back bed of the truck to pick out a weapon.

"So how we gonna do this?" Jenny asked.

"Well, we don't know how big the creature is or if there is a creature for that matter. If we split in groups of two, we could have one big tranq and a little tranq, you know, just to be safe." Stephen reasoned.

"Give me a gun dammit!" K.C. shouted.

Stephen looked to Cutter for guidance.

"Give her the smaller tranquillizer. If she abuses the privilege, you know what to do. Jenny and I will take the west side of the forest. You and K.C. take the east." Cutter replied taking two tranquillizers, handing one to Jenny and entering the forest.

"What? Nick, you're not seriously gonna leave me with her are you?" Stephen called after his friend, who blatantly ignored him.

"Why? Am I too much to handle for you, Stephen?" K.C. mocked.

Stephen forcefully handed her the smaller tranquillizer and replied "Make no mistake K.C., if you screw up on this mission, I won't hesitate to take you out."

"Grow up Stephen, you take things too literally." K.C. said walking into the forest.

Stephen locked the trunk up and ran after K.C. They were pretty deep in the woods before Stephen noticed some tracks.

"It's bi-ped, but not as huge as a T-rex so we should be grateful for that." Stephen stood up after analyzing the tracks.

He suddenly heard a familiar noise. The ADD.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with that?" he asked angrily.

"This?" K.C. waved it in the air. "Little souvenir I thought would come in handy, being that we'll be covering such a large amount of ground."

Stephen just stood appalled that K.C. seemed to be treating this so lightheartedly.

"The anomaly's not that far away. Maybe 15 klicks ahead." K.C. continued, ignoring Stephen.

They stopped moving whenever they heard a roar not far from their current position. Stephen went to grab his mobile to phone Cutter.

"Don't bother." K.C. interjected. "The anomaly's disrupted the signal. We're on our own."

Stephen put the phone away.

"Get down!" Stephen hissed as he pushed K.C. under a bush and the hid while the creature passed.

"Oh my God!" K.C. whispered as she saw the creature through the bushes pass by.

"What is it?" Stephen asked.

"It's a Stygimoloch. Aka 'horned devil from the river of death'." K.C. elaborated making air quotes with her fingers.

"It's from the Cretaceous. Most of the creatures we faced have come from there." Stephen replied ignoring K.C.'s sarcasm.

"Yeah. And the last place my device was set on was the Cretaceous, meaning that Connor could be on the other side of that anomaly." K.C. jumped to her feet and began to run.

"Freeze, you're not going anywhere, K.C." Stephen replied calmly pointing the gun at K.C.

"Cutter said you might try something like jumping through the first anomaly you find and there you go."

"Stephen, your friend could be on the other side of that anomaly and you don't want him back?" K.C. turned around on her heel.

"Yeah I do." Stephen answered keeping the gun fixed on K.C.

"Or don't you want him back because he loved Abby too and if he comes back, it'll ruin all that you've built up?"

"Stop it! You have no idea what you're talking about." Stephen cried.

"Really? How do you even know that I can find Connor? You people think I'm the bad guy here. I'm just trying to help."

"How? By ripping everyone apart psychologically? Because you're doing a fantastic job."

K.C. raised her tranquillizer at Stephen.

"If you shoot me K.C., you will go back in the cell, and even Cutter won't be able to get you back out."

"You don't trust me because you're all scared of what might happen if he does come back." K.C. pulled the trigger as did Stephen at the same time.

K.C. got hit in the leg whereas Stephen quickly turned around to see the Stygimoloch stumble and hit the ground with a tranquillizer dart in its chest. Stephen quickly fired a few more darts into the creature before walking back over to K.C.

K.C. had managed to pull the dart out, but fell to the ground and was on the verge of unconsciousness.

"Whoops." Stephen muttered. "Cutter's gonna kill me."

* * *

Connor was now wandering across some nameless desert in the blistering heat. He had been for some time now. He had no idea what the time period was, nor did he see any signs of life.

He was now completely out of water and at death's door. He crawled across the desert sand.

"I-I-I can't take it anymore. I'm so sorry Abby. I won't be coming back." His arms collapsed under him and he turned to face the sun.

He felt his heart stop when he heard the sound of several guns cocking around him.

Suddenly, a shadow covered him and a cool liquid was being poured down his throat.

He found some words after several minutes of downing the water.

"Thank you so much." He gasped.

He couldn't open his eyes, it was still too hot and he hadn't brought sunglasses with him.

"The pleasure is all mine, Connor." The voice replied.

Connor recognized the voice straight away, "Helen."

He tried to move frantically to find the hand gun he brought with him but found he couldn't move his arms.

"I think you'll be coming with me." Helen announced.

Connor could just picture that horrible smile on her face.

"Pick him up; we need to get out of here." Helen ordered her Cleaners.

They did as they were told and picked him up as Helen opened an anomaly and they all stepped through, back to her closely guarded mansion.

* * *

Please review!!!


	15. What I’ve Done…Or What I’ll Do

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!!!**

**Chapter 15: What I've Done…Or What I'll Do**

K.C. lay on the back seat of the truck unconscious via the tranq dart, while Stephen, Nick, and Jenny talked about possible options.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that this mission was wrapped up fairly quickly." Jenny said leaning against the truck.

"For the most part," said Nick, "we managed to get the Stygimoloch back through the anomaly before it closed, but K.C. had a mishap with the tranq and we still haven't found Connor."

"Look Nick, I'm really sorry about shooting K.C., but she was making a run for the anomaly and at the last minute saved my life. I thought she was going to shoot me, so I stopped her. She should wake up within the next few hours, like Abby did. It's basically the same dosage." Stephen explained.

"It's fine, we'll just have to think up something to get Lester off our backs when we get back." Nick replied.

"Well, better not delay the inevitable." Jenny said after a few moments of silence as she headed to the passenger side of the truck.

* * *

Connor lay in a bed covered up and unconscious while Helen spoke to the head of her Cleaner army just outside the door.

"This couldn't have worked out better to my advantage." Helen mused.

"Kyra is tearing the Nick's team apart while his most prized student is my prisoner. With Connor's technological genius and Kyra's cleverness, I'll be unstoppable. But the problem will be turning Connor against Nick and getting Kyra away from Nick. Surely, Leek won't fail me again and will listen to my plans more thoroughly."

Helen watched as Connor tossed and turned, starting to come around.

Helen clicked her fingers. "That's it!" She beamed.

"Stephen, refused to come with me, as did Nick. Connor was in love with the lizard girl, but so was Connor. So, all I have to do is tell Connor that everyone has forgotten about him, Abby has woken up and has moved in with Stephen. It's brilliant!"

Helen looked at the Cleaner, who stared blankly back at her.

"Oh what am I telling you this for? I need someone to have an intelligent conversation with, that's what Kyra was for, until she disobeyed me and got caught by Nick."

Helen walked into the room when she noticed Connor sit up in the bed trying to figure out where he was.

* * *

Stephen, Nick, and Jenny returned to the ARC leaving K.C., still unconscious in the back of the truck as they went to face the wrath of Lester.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite freelancers," Lester announced sarcastically as they entered his office. "Where's the ARC's newest resident?"

"Unconscious in the back seat of the truck." Cutter replied.

"Really?" Lester asked excitedly leaning forward in his chair. "Who did it?"

Stephen raised his hand.

Lester leaned back in his chair, "well, at least someone shares my views on our new resident."

"It was an accident." Stephen replied defensively.

"Oh, of course it was, accidents happen all the time." Lester continued sarcastically. "Now, when is she going back into a holding cell?"

"She's not." Cutter replied.

"Pardon?" Lester asked. "If I remember correctly, she was not allowed to leave the ARC under _any_ circumstances."

"She proved herself out there today. She and Stephen took down a creature. She'll be staying at my house, until we can figure out how to deal with the technicalities." Cutter confirmed.

Lester threw his hands up in the air. "Oh sure, just let every insane time-traveler that pops out of an anomaly run ramped throughout the ARC and public like it's a theme park. I'll give you one week, if you can't keep her under control outside of the ARC, she's going straight back into a holding cell."

Cutter turned around and began to walk out of the ARC completely ignoring whatever else Lester had to say to him. Jenny and Stephen turned and followed.

"Stephen I need you to go and watch K.C. for a bit. Jenny I need to talk to you in my office." Cutter said not turning to face his teammates.

"Are we a bit testy today?" Jenny asked as she followed Cutter to his office.

* * *

Leek stacked his paperwork and stood getting ready to leave.

"And, just where do you think you're going Leek? You've tons of paperwork to finish." Lester asked without looking at Leek.

"Oh, I was just going to step out for some lunch, do you want anything, sir?"

"No not really, but since you're offering, would you mind getting me the usual for lunch?"

"Yes, sir." Leek smiled as he walked out towards his car.

"Oh, I can't wait until my plan is completely in place and I can take over. Then it'll be Lester who's fetching me lunch." Leek muttered. "Helen had better be at the meeting spot."

* * *

Connor sat up in bed slightly confused at where he was until he saw Helen.

"You!" he spat searching for his gun.

"Calm down Connor," Helen spoke softly stopping at the foot of the bed. "no need for guns, we're all friends here."

"Not exactly, if I remember correctly, you're the reason Abby's dying in the hospital. Give me the antidote now!" Connor tried to get out of the bed, but he was still tired from his escapade in the desert.

"Connor, Connor. Have you any idea how long you've been gone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Abby's been awake and moving about for some time now."

"You're lying, I saw her with my own to eyes."

"Abby has moved in with Stephen. They make quite a couple." Helen mused watching the anger rise in Connor.

"Stop it!"

"Everyone's forgotten about you, even Nick. You see, they're glad you're gone Connor. Abby's found a new love, not that she ever cared for you as more than a friend anyway-"

"Enough! I don't believe you!"

"Oh believe it Connor. Wait until I show you the future. What your so called teammates have done to ruin it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Join my struggle Connor, together we can stop the future they've created." Helen proposed holding out a gun.

Connor eyed the gun and looked a Helen. "I'm not going to kill anyone, if that's what you're trying to make me do."

"They have created a world overrun with future predators and you want them to get away with that crime to humanity? I'm just trying to save you Connor and show you who your true enemies are."

"I won't ever betray my friends, I don't care what you say, because I'll never turn on them! Never!"

Helen stood up and walked over to the door, "just think about what I said Connor, do you want a future without the threat of anomalies? Or do you want Nick and the others to create the future predators and destroy this once beautiful planet?"

Helen walked out of the door leaving a fatigued Connor falling back into unconsciousness, her poison words turning about in his head.

* * *

Nick sat down in his seat while Jenny shut the door and sat in the seat opposite of him.

"What is it Cutter?"

"I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry for acting like such an arse lately and I do want you to stay on this team." Cutter explained sincerely.

"That's it?" Jenny asked incredulously.

"That and I also wanted to say that I love you and I don't want K.C. to come between us."

Jenny stood up and began pacing about. Nick stood as well.

"And what are we going to do about finding Connor and dealing with Helen when she does eventually pop up?" Jenny asked as she turned to come face to face with Nick.

"We'll deal with it when it comes to it." Nick replied closing the gap between himself and Jenny.

Their lips met, this time on mutual terms.

Jenny ran her hands through Cutter's hair as he placed one hand on her back, pulling her closer to him and the other running through her hair. The two of them bumped into the nearest wall, not missing a beat in their kissing.

"There's a time and a place" Jenny muttered between the kissing.

Cutter, absorbed in emotion, merely mumbled.

"Seriously, though, Lester or anyone for that matter, could come barging in at any moment."

Cutter broke the kiss and fixed his hair as did Jenny, both of them straightening their clothes as well to look presentable before they returned to the main operations room.

Jenny looked in a nearby mirror at her lipstick, there was no way of fixing it, so she grabbed a few tissues and wiped the remnants of her lipstick off.

"You know, Nick, I wasn't really going to resign my post." Jenny explained as she turned around and kissed Nick's lips before exiting his office.

* * *

Later that night, at Stephen's flat, Stephen lay topless in his bed holding Abby in his arms, looking up at the ceiling.

Stephen couldn't shake what K.C. had said to him before he shot her. She was right in a way, a part of him didn't want Connor to come back, because he didn't want to deal with the repercussions of being with Abby while Connor clearly expressed interest in her. But, Connor never exactly made a move.

The sick realization hit Stephen that the reason he shot K.C. with the tranq wasn't because she was trying to get away, it was because he wanted her to shut up because she was right.

Connor was like the little brother Stephen never had and this was just wrong how Stephen was dealing with Connor's disappearance.

"Abby," Stephen whispered.

"Yeah?" Abby mumbled.

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Stephen whispered, afraid to raise his voice the slightest bit.

"Stephen, why would you think of such a thing?" Abby asked picking her head up to see Stephen eye to eye.

"It's just that the reason I shot K.C. with the tranq today was because she tried to convince me that I didn't want Connor to come back because I wouldn't let her slip through the anomaly to look for him." Stephen explained.

"Stephen, you were just doing your job. We'll find Connor and figure out where K.C.'s loyalties really lie."

Abby leaned in and kissed Stephen on the lips. Stephen returned the kiss with passion as he wrapped his arms around Abby.

Abby involuntarily giggled. "Stephen, stop it, we need to wake up in the morning for work."

"We could take a sick day." Stephen replied crushing his lips against Abby's once more.

"We couldn't leave everything up to Cutter and Jenny, they might kill each other." Abby tried to reason.

Abby returned the kiss and then continued, "If you don't go to sleep, I'm afraid I'll have to make you sleep back out on the couch again."

Stephen kissed Abby's lips once more and replied. "Okay, I'll be good."

They curled up under the sheets and fell asleep anticipating what tomorrow might bring.

* * *

Please Review!


	16. Love and Memories

**DISCALIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!!!**

**Chapter 16: Love and Memories**

The building was on fire, people were screaming and running. There was a small girl, not much older than 3 or 4, who stood in the corridor confused and crying looking for her parents.

Nick Cutter ran to the small child with Claudia Brown's hand in his.

He held the girl in his arms tightly and then pulled her back so that they were looking at each other eye to eye.

"Kyra, listen to me, you're gonna go with your mum. There are some bad people that have gotten into the ARC and if I don't stop them they'll destroy everything."

Tears were still pouring from the child's eyes, "but I want you to come with us, daddy."

Cutter wiped the child's tears away, "its okay, everything's gonna be alright."

"But-but you always say that when you know it's not and something bad's gonna happen. I don't want you to get hurt!" Kyra cried as Claudia picked her up, Cutter embracing and kissing them both as Claudia began to run with Kyra in her arms.

Kyra screamed after Cutter, who ran back towards the fire.

Gunshots were heard and the two of them got scared.

Claudia set Kyra down on the ground, "listen to me darling ok?"

Kyra nodded.

"I'm gonna go and find your dad. I want you to run outside and hide away from the building ok?"

Kyra nodded. "You're not gonna leave too?"

"I will my darling, but I'm just gonna get your dad and we'll come find you. It-it's kinda like that game you love so much, hide and seek? Go, I'll start counting. One, two, three…"

Kyra did as she was told and ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. Only, Kyra couldn't remember how to get out of the building. She was in a part of the ARC she'd never been in before and grew very scared.

Suddenly, a tall woman came around the corner and bent down to Kyra. "Come with me." She said.

"Mommy says I shouldn't talk to strangers."

Helen smiled, "But I'm not a stranger, I'm your guardian angel. I'm here to take you to safety."

"What about mommy and daddy?"

"They'll be just fine." Helen lied.

She picked the girl up and pulled out a device and opened an anomaly.

"Daddy said I should stay away from those shiny circles." Kyra announced.

"These aren't dangerous, love. They'll take us to fantastical places." Helen replied as she stepped through the anomaly carrying the small child in her arms.

* * *

K.C. woke up in what felt like a very comfortable bed, like the one she used to sleep in at the mansion she'd lived in with Helen her whole life.

"That was a very odd dream, but I guess it's to be expected when you get hit with such a large dose of tranquillizer." She mumbled.

She looked around her. She was in some kind of bedroom, a guest bedroom probably. But where? And what if she missed Stephen getting ripped for shooting her?!? That would be very unfortunate. But for now, she needed to figure out where exactly she was.

She tried to lift her arms and move her legs, which felt like lead weights. Well, I guess I'm stuck wherever it is that I am until the tranq darts completely wear off.

She looked around for a clock and noticed that it was around 5am. She laid her head back on the pillow, and waited til someone would come and tell her where she was exactly.

* * *

"Stephen, open the door!" Nick Cutter yelled pounding on the dead-locked titanium door as he watched Stephen slowly back away from the door and towards his imminent demise.

"Sorry mate, I'm doing this one." Stephen called back.

"No, open this door, right now!" Cutter called back more furious than before as he pounded on the door. "Stephen!"

"Tell Connor and Abby to stay out of trouble." Stephen smirked for the last time as all of the creatures he had previously fought encircled him, but what was far more horrific than his _"silent death,"_ was the indescribable look on his face right before it happened.

As Nick's face disappeared from the small window, there was someone who continued to pound on a door calling, no, _screaming_ for Stephen to get out of there even though it was clearly much too late. This person had originally gone back to get Cutter, but stumbled upon this gruesome scene. This person was……

It was Abby; she was the person pounding on the other door, screaming for Stephen to get out of there. When she finally realized the futility of the situation, she fell to her knees grasping her bloody hands. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

How could this have happened? This had to be Helen Cutter's doing. But before she (Abby) could finish her next thought, she noticed a bright light, an anomaly, soon partially obscured by a shadow of someone or something……

It lunged at her nearly seconds after emerging from the anomaly and she noticed in a split second that it was a future predator about to force her to share a fate similar to Stephen's……….

All she could think about was how she couldn't move and how Connor would never forgive her for being so stupid. She closed her eyes bracing for imminent death. It felt like minutes had passed, but death had not yet claimed her.

Or was she already dead? She truly did not want to know. She chanced a peek and noticed the future predator lying in a pool of blood. She still couldn't move, yet she was overcome with joy. All she wanted to do now was stand up and run back to Connor and the safety of her friends.

She made a move to stand up by pushing off the ground with her hands, but fell back to the ground cringing as she remembered her mangled hands, which could quite possibly have been broken from her pounding on the door so hard. She pushed herself against the wall and used her feet to push herself up onto her feet and began running blindly away from the door as she heard the terrible sounds of the creatures, which had killed Stephen, tearing each other apart.

The anomaly that had let the future predator, that had attacked her, out didn't close and that fact made her only run faster. She suddenly heard several clicking sounds as well as a pair of footsteps. She kept running and turned down a corridor only to realize that shed made a wrong turn and ended up in a corridor with a dead-end.

She tried opening the two doors that were nearest her, but they were locked. She once again fell to her knees. She thought that she'd actually make it out of here, back to her friends, but now, it seemed as though even that was impossible. The clicking noises were getting closer and she now noticed the shadows of the creatures as they drew nearer to where she was.

Suddenly, another anomaly opened to her left. 'This is the end,' she thought. 'My luck is just that bad. It won't just be Stephen whose life was taken here.'

Helen Cutter stepped partially out of the anomaly holding out her hand to Abby and said "Come with me quickly, I have a proposition for you."

Abby looked at Helen and looked back at the shadows nearing her location…….

Abby had woken up in a cold sweat breathing heavily.

"It was just a dream." She muttered to herself.

She looked down to see Stephen's sleeping figure, breathing softly, his arm still wrapped around her waist.

She smiled and laid back down wrapping her arms around him tightly, staring at the peaceful look on his face as he slept.

There was a niggling feeling in the back of her head that somehow, she knew in that dream, though she still couldn't figure out how it ended yet, she had taken Helen's hand and accepted her help.

* * *

Connor tossed and turned, he had never felt so tired in his life and he refused to believe that any of his friends would create the future predators and destroy the world; that they would forget all about him; that Abby and Stephen would end up together and in the same flat. What about Connor? What did they do with all of his stuff? Cutter wouldn't go back on his word about stopping the anomalies, would he?

Connor shot awake out of his half-asleep stupor when the door to his room opened.

Two of the cleaners came in and pulled Connor out of the bed and down the hall to a study where Helen Cutter sat with some tea.

"Hello Connor, so are you ready for our little field trip?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." He snapped.

"I think you'll find that you will, so that you know exactly what we're fighting for and which side you should be standing on."

"Who's this we? I'm not on your side and I never will be."

"Oh, I don't know about that Connor, I think you'll change your mind after our little trip. But for now, you must be famished. Eat and drink all you like."

Connor stared at the food before him. He was starving, but he couldn't be sure if Helen had spiked any of it. His stomach growled.

'Come to think of it,' he thought, 'it's not entirely easy to negotiate on an empty stomach.'

He dug in and began to eat.

Helen smiled wickedly. Taking over the ARC and fixing the future would be a cinch if she could get Connor to join her cause. All it would take now, was to show him the future.

* * *

Please review!!


	17. Know Your Enemy

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!!!!**

**A/N:**** *PLEASE READ FIRST!!!* So for some reason, my updates are not showing up in the category, so if you do get a chance to read this, please let me know that the update is appearing somewhere!! I'm at work attempting to solve it!! Thanks!!! ^^;**

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**Chapter 17:** **Know Your Enemy**

Kyra couldn't believe how easily she had managed to get the team to trust her. Not that she was doing so for Helen's gain any more, but because she now felt wanted, whereas Helen would always scold her and send her back to the mansion on the opposite side of the anomaly.

After she eventually woke up after Stephen had tranquilized her, she had woken up in Cutter's house in one of the guest rooms. Cutter had explained the whole situation to her, about how she would now be considered part of the team and how sorry Stephen was for shooting her and what not.

Kyra now sat in the main operations area working on the ADD.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Lester inquired as he came seemingly from nowhere, which startled Kyra causing her to hit her head on the table.

She could've sworn she saw him smirk at that.

"Fixing the club house equipment, matey." She replied rubbing the back of her head and turning away from him.

"You're not authorized to do so. Do you know that?"

"Uh, last time I checked I was." Kyra replied sarcastically.

"Under whose authority?"

"Well, it was all cool with the prof. and the rest of the team didn't seem to mind. Besides, it's this, or go back to that dreary cell and waste your security tapes singing show tunes clanging a cup across the bars."

Lester shuddered at the very thought. "I'll be sure to see to it that next time you get a paper cup."

"I wasn't finished yet. Instead of wasting all that film on me, don't you think you should be watching your staff?"

Lester shrugged, "Oh come off it, we already know that Cutter's a loon."

Kyra turned back to her work on the ADD, "I wasn't referring to the team."

Lester crossed his arms looking sternly at her, "then who? As a captive of the ARC, you are required under law to share any and all information with us."

"Actually, I don't. Cutter's orders are the only orders that I follow here and I have told him what I know. You wanna know something, go ask him." She snapped.

Lester turned and walked back to his office fuming.

"Wow, I've never seen him that angry." Stephen commented as he came over and sat on the table nearest the ADD. "well, except for when-yeah, definitely never seen him that angry."

"What do you want?" Kyra asked annoyed, not looking up.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and wanted to call a truce."

Kyra stopped her work on the ADD, and dusted/wiped her hands onto her jeans.

"Yeah, sure, I'll call a truce. Just give me a gun…and…we'll be even." She smirked.

"No one is shooting anyone, that was a field mishap that will never happen again or else. Understood?" Cutter announced as he, Abby, and Jenny came over to where the pair were conversing.

"What?!? That's totally unfair! What about an eye for an eye?" Kyra whined.

"Died out with Hammurabi." Cutter simply replied as he walked over to the ADD to check on it.

Stephen smirked at Kyra who stuck out her tongue.

Kyra walked over to Cutter, "I'm still not done with it yet, but there is something I found that I think you should know about."

"What is it?" Cutter asked.

Kyra motioned to the group with her eyes, "it kinda something you alone should know."

Cutter seemed to understand her cryptic message. Stephen and Abby, go and check the trucks, makes sure they're ready to go at a moment's notice. And Jenny, go and um, take care of the-something."

Jenny shot a strange look at Cutter, but turned and went to find something to preoccupy herself with.

Cutter sat down in a chair next to Kyra, "so what did you find?"

Kyra hopped into the other chair and began typing furiously at the keyboard.

"I found a little surprise left behind by Connor. It's some kinda virus that will infect the hacker's computer and send out a fake anomaly alert. Basically, all we have to do is enter a time and date and we'll find the traitor, who isn't me by the way."

"Excellent." Cutter whispered and quickly glanced around the room before giving Kyra an exact date and time to punch into the ADD.

"Nearly a step closer to finding Connor." Kyra mumbled.

"You think the traitor is somehow connected to Connor's disappearance?"

"More than likely." She replied.

"If you know who it is, you need to tell me now so that we can stop this horrible game."

Kyra turned to face him, "Listen Cutter, I know that everyone wants Connor back safe and sound, but if I reveal who I'm more than positive is the culprit, it could possibly damage time."

Cutter's eyes dropped to the floor. "He's like a son to me, do you know that?"

Kyra didn't reply, she just stared at him.

"And Stephen's like his brother?" Kyra guessed.

"Connor's parents disowned him when he joined this project, they left him without anything to stand on."

"Listen Cutter, I'm sure there is some great movie to be made of all this one day, but I'm hitting enter and then we need to get to our ambush positions at this location stat."

Cutter regain his composure and smiled, "let's do this."

* * *

Later, as Stephen, Abby, and Cutter were finishing packing up the gear, Kyra decided that it was time to confront Leek.

Leek was in his office shuffling with papers as if in an immediate hurry.

Kyra leaned against the door frame.

"Someone's in a hurry." She stated.

Leek jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around very slowly.

"Well, if it isn't our newest team member." He faked a smile.

"Save it, Leek. We need to talk."

His smile faded, "I'm in a hurry. I don't have the time to deal with you."

Kyra held up a gun and pointed it at Leek. "I think we have adequate time to talk right now if ya don't mind terribly."

Horror painted Leek's face. "I hope you know that there's no way you're going to walk away from this without some consequences."

"Actually, I think you'll find that _you_ won't be walking away from this without consequences, Oliver." She replied gesturing towards him with the gun.

"What do you want?"

"Simple. I want you to get a hold of Helen; however the hell you've been managing."

"Done."

"I'm not finished yet."

"I want you to contact her, stop this charade, and bring Connor Temple back to this time right here right now."

Leek smiled and it made Kyra feel somewhat uncomfortable. "And what makes you so sure that Helen knows of Temple's whereabouts? Hm?"

"There's not a damn thing dealing with the anomalies that doesn't go on without Helen knowing about it. You call her here right now, tell her to bring Connor back, and then, you are going to come clean about your dirty little secret, hoarding all those animals."

Leek cocked his head to one side and walked over to a computer typing furiously. "You know what? You win K.C."

"Wait, what are you-what the hell are you doing Leek?"

"Giving you your reward." Leek replied as he hit enter.

The gun shook in Kyra's hand.

"Cutter! Stephen!" Kyra shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Go ahead, you won't pull that trigger and by the time they even get here, you'll be back in that cell so fast your head will spin."

Cutter and Stephen came bursting into the room just as she was about to pull the trigger. Stephen pulled the gun from Kyra's grasp.

"What's going on here?" Cutter asked.

"Leek's in cahoots with Helen! He knows where Connor is!" Kyra shouted.

"What?" Stephen and Cutter gasped at the same time.

Leek merely chuckled. "Perhaps we should, um, consult the security footage?"

Cutter went over to the computer that Leek was typing on moments ago.

"No, don't touch that computer! He did something to it!" Kyra shouted, tears forming in her eyes.

But it was too late, Leek had already hit play.

"_Save it Leek, Helen and I have adequate time to bring hell right here right now. I think you'll find Connor Temple won't be walking away from this without consequences. Helen and I aren't finished yet."_

"No! No, that's not me! You guys! Clearly he's tampered with it! Watch the original footage that's not what happened!" Kyra shouted tears falling from her eyes.

Cutter turned around in disgust, "I can't believe I trusted you. I let you in and this whole time, you've been in league with Helen."

"You gotta believe me Cutter, that's not true."

Cutter pulled a gun on her, "where the hell is Connor right now?"

"I don't know! I swear it! Helen and Leek are behind everything!"

Stephen, put her back in the cell, we have things to attend to." Cutter ordered as he walked away.

"No! You can't do this! Just listen to me! Leek is behind everything!"

* * *

Kyra sat in her cell once more. She didn't know what to do, now that she didn't have any pull to find Connor anymore.

Suddenly the door opened and Leek came over to her cell.

She leapt toward the bars "you bastard! This is all your fault!"

"Actually, it's yours. I really only came to let you know that a white van has just entered the ARC, centered in the main operations room to be exact, containing a bomb and possibly a future predator or two. Enjoy your last few hours of life." Leek explained as he turned and left.

"You'll get yours Leek! Helen will see to it!"

Kyra began to pace around the cell attempting to devise a plan to figure out how to stop Leek and save her new teammates and Connor before it would be too late.

* * *

Please review!

Stabby fluff in the next chap! Promise! ^^


	18. The Calm Before the Storm

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN, DON'T SUE!**

**Chapter 18:**** The Calm Before the Storm**

Cutter went to head to the trucks while Stephen went to get Abby.

"Where's K.C.?" Abby asked.

"She's betrayed us. She's in the holding cells." Stephen answered.

"D'ya mind if I go ask her something quick?" Abby inquired searching Stephen's eyes.

"Abby I-I don't think that's such a good idea right now. We need to get out of here."

"Please Stephen; it will only take a few minutes."

Stephen made a face, "fine, just hurry before Cutter finds out."

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Abby replied as she kissed Stephen's cheek and rushed off to the holding cells.

* * *

"Hello?" Abby asked as she approached Kyra's cell.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be here all alone? Apparently, there's word I'm the traitor."

"Someone knows where I am." Abby answered.

"Stephen, but not Cutter; and I've also noticed that the team's missing a member besides Connor and myself."

"I'm not here to play riddles K.C. There's something I need to know. How the hell do you fit into all of this?" Abby explained.

Kyra approached the bars. "You've been having recurring nightmares? Nightmares that put you in that hospital and even now and again come back?"

Abby took a step back, "How did you know about that?"

"How do you think you got better?" Kyra countered.

"You? But how?"

"Well, since they're videotaping everything I say and no one trusts me anymore, I might as well spill."

"Why me? Why not spill to Cutter?"

"That man blows everything out of proportion; I needed someone with a reasonable mind to listen to me."

"So go ahead then, what the hell's going on?"

"You contracted a sickness from the mer when they kidnapped you. You were going to die and Helen couldn't care any less as long as Cutter or Stephen chose to go with her. So, I slipped away and administered a future antidote to you that would instantly destroy the disease, not thinking that the bumbling doctor of yours would try to take credit for my good deed."

"I got better and found out that Connor had disappeared and I had to move in with Stephen because I didn't have a flat mate anymore." Abby added.

"Anyways, Helen's been plotting to take out Stephen and Cutter, I've seen it, in the future, that's why I got caught, I was trying to leave a message with Connor, because I knew that Cutter would believe him as opposed to a time-hopper associated with Helen. Leek is involved; he's Helen's eyes and ears of the ARC, that's how she's been a few steps ahead of everyone lately. They're planning something big, you lot need to be careful because I fear that someone isn't going to walk away from Connor's trap."

"Trap?"

"I can't tell you, everything is dependent on this. Get Cutter to listen to you, I need to get out of here. There's a white van in the main operations room that wasn't there this morning. Something's up. Here." Kyra explained as she passed a folded piece of paper to Abby.

"What's this?"

"Details of the thing that Cutter and I set up with Connor's help. Hurry, they'll be wondering where you are."

"Why should I believe you?" Abby asked skeptically.

"Put it this way for ya, Abigail Sarah Maitland; what choice have you got?" Kyra replied returning to her seat on the cell cot.

* * *

Abby turned still slightly confused and angry, darting toward the trucks, as she, Stephen and Cutter raced to the place of the fake anomaly.

"Did you find anything out?" Stephen asked.

"A lot, more than I thought she'd be willing to share." Abby began. "Leek is behind everything, with Helen's help."

"Leek's a wimp and doesn't have the will to be able to pull off any of this even with Helen's help." Cutter replied as he drove.

"Yeah, but what if she's right?" Abby asked.

"I guess well find out in the next twenty minutes or so." Stephen replied.

* * *

Kyra lay on the cot half smiling to herself, if there were anytime that Cutter could believe anything she said to be true; now was that time. Then, as realization hit her, her expression quickly changed to a frown.

She shot up hitting herself in the head.

"Dammit! How could I have missed that?"

She quickly replayed the events of her time with the ARC team. Every single anomaly, every single creature they encountered. Then, what occurred to her, the missing link." (**A/N:** No pun intended! ;P)

"No mammoth." She muttered.

"Lester!" She screamed at the security camera in her cell.

"I know you're still in the building! You need to get out now! There are future predators in the building and I swear on my life if you don't get out now, you _will_ die!"

"And what truth is there to what you say anymore?" Lester replied over the PA.

"In the timeline I saw, you were nearly killed by a future predator, but a mammoth that the team caught, saved your cynical ass!"

"Don't be ridiculous, there is no mammoth here."

"Exactly! Because the mammoth anomaly _never_ opened! No mammoth equals no Lester! Now get the hell out of the building."

"And what about the creatures? Hm? You think I'll just run a fire drill, come back into the building and the creatures will disappear?"

"No. I expect they'll come looking for the next living being in the building."

"And who would that be?"

"Me." Kyra swallowed starring as the lights flickered.

"How terribly noble of you."

"Look around James! Do you see any of your employees? Hm? What about Leek?"

Lester looked around the ARC that was visible from his office. It appeared that he _was_ the only one besides K.C.

"And just what do you propose I do after exiting the building, K.C.? Dance a jig?"

"If ya like." Kyra replied smiling, "it'll take them at least awhile before they get through these bars. Calling Cutter would probably be more helpful than you practicing your DDR skills."

"Very well," Lester replied fixing his tie and pulling his coat on, heading toward the door.

"Oh and Lester,"

Lester didn't reply.

"Don't saunter out like a pansy, don't even stop to chat with Leek on the ADD. If anything, I suggest you haul ass out of the ARC."

Lester shot a glare at the com and briskly walked down the ramp toward the exit, until he heard a noise behind him.

* * *

Sorry it's so short; it's been a busy few weeks. Next chap will be longer with some action and hopefully some surprises! ^^

Please Review! =D


	19. Surprise, Surprise!

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**A/N: Sorry it's been forever since I've updated; but I think that I may have found where I wanted to take this...maybe. xD**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 19****: Surprise, Surprise!**

Abby, Stephen, and Cutter sat on the floor near the altar of a church, where the false anomaly alert was to send the traitor.

"What if this doesn't work?" Stephen asked annoyed.

"It's going to." Cutter replied, looking forward.

"K.C. was the one who set the whole thing up, what if it's all a sham?" Stephen pointed out.

Cutter didn't want to believe that K.C. would go through all the trouble of setting up a false anomaly alarm just to make the rest of the team look like a bunch of ingrates. However, he also didn't want to believe that she was in league with Helen the entire time and knew the whereabouts of Connor.

Though, Cutter kept asking himself why he was here instead of interrogating K.C.; but he already knew the answer. They had to find out who else might be behind this, and Cutter also had a niggling feeling that K.C. might not be behind any of it.

He shook the thoughts from his head as he heard Abby hiss in a whisper, "someone's here."

The three of them turned and peered over the pew to see soldiers rushing in with guns, Jenny entering behind them, looking about.

"Well? Where is it?" She asked confused.

Cutter pulled out his gun, jumping to his feet, and charging toward Jenny.

"Nick, wait!" Stephen called after him, jumping to his feet, running after him.

"Nick." Jenny smiled.

Her smile faded as he pointed a gun in her face.

"Who sent you?" he questioned, no emotion on his face.

* * *

Lester slowly turned around to see Leek on the screen.

"Hello, James." He greeted.

"Leek? What the hell is going on?" Lester demanded.

"I've always been the small man, letting you walk all over me. Now, the roles have reversed."

"Security!" Lester called looking around.

"They're all dead or off on Cutter's wild goose-chase." Leek explained as Lester looked around calling frantically for security.

Lester turned around to come face-to-face with a future predator.

"Now, I'm going to hunt you." Leek sneered as the future predator crept closer to Lester.

* * *

Kyra stood in her cell watching the lights flicker.

She heard the clicking noise that the future predators made. She slowed her breathing and did her best to control her heart from racing as she heard the security guard of the holding cells get ripped apart by the creatures.

'As much as I hate the man,' she thought, 'I really hope that Lester made it out and got hold of Cutter.'

Kyra put her pointer finger and thumb of her right hand to her mouth and whistled as loud as she possibly could. The creatures had sensitive hearing and would nonetheless come running to the sound.

* * *

Lester fell backwards as the creature slashed at him. He stumbled into an iPod dock and pushed the power button, which caused the creature to convulse.

Lester struggled to his feet and dashed down the hall trying to find an exit.

Lester came to a pair of doors that were chained shut.

"Dammit!" he shouted, tugging at the chains.

He turned to see the future predator slowly creeping toward him, ready to strike.

Lester squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to see death come for him. Oddly enough, his life didn't flash before his eyes, so much as the fact that he wasn't wearing his favorite suit that he would've rather died in.

He jumped when he heard a gunshot, his eyes shot open.

Lester saw the future predator lying dead on the ground, blood spewing out. He looked up just in time to see a figure disappear around the corner and down another corridor.

"I think I need to make a phone call." Lester mused as he rushed to a safer location and called for Cutter to rush back to the ARC.

* * *

Kyra whistled for the tenth time, to make sure that every future predator that was in the building was now coming for her.

"Please, please, please, let Cutter be on his way." She muttered.

It didn't help much now, as the future predators gathered around the holding cell she was in, that there were bars on three sides of the holding cells, enabling the creatures to reach through the bars to try and attack her. She stood on the cot, her back pressed against the wall as they thrashed, trying to reach further into the holding cell.

Suddenly, a pair of sunglasses slid across the floor, near the cot she was standing on. Kyra didn't ask any questions, she leaned down carefully outstretching her arms to reach for the sunglasses.

As she grabbed them, one of the future predator's claws caught her hand, ripping it opened.

She grunted, ignoring the pain as she quickly placed the sunglasses on.

Almost immediately after placing the sunglasses on her face, there were two bright flashes, followed by several gunshots as the three future predators fell dead.

She took off the sunglasses as the cell door opened revealing the last person she expected to see.

* * *

Oh, snap! Cliffhanger! xD

Please Review! ;D


	20. Monsters

**Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 20****: Monsters**

"Connor?" Kyra asked incredulously as she jumped off the cot and ran toward the door to the cell, as he jimmied it open.

Connor looked completely different from the last time she'd seen him. His hair was longer; he had a beard, and donned different clothes as well. He wore a torn up jacket, with a red hoodie underneath, dark jeans and his work boots.

"Thank you so much!" Kyra exclaimed as she flung her arms around him.

"We need to go." Connor said, pulling her arms away from him.

"Why? What's wrong?" Kyra looked at the future predators and back to Connor. "I mean, apart from the obvious."

Connor grabbed her hand and started to pull her towards the exit of the holding cells.

"Connor," Kyra interrupted, remembering her injured hand. "We need to stop at the medical bay, my hand's been ripped open by one of the predators."

"We have to keep moving," was all he said.

Kyra was slightly taken aback, but considering the circumstances, she shrugged it off. "If we don't stop, I'll lose even more blood. I think I need stitches."

Connor stopped, loosening his grip on her hand. "Fine, we'll make a quick side trip and grab the supplies we need; but we can't be here when everyone gets back."

"What? Why?" Kyra asked confused.

"Trust me, come on," he said as he began to pull her towards the medical bay.

* * *

Kyra sat on one of the tables while Connor helped her quickly stitch up her hand.

She had jumped a few times, because he had tightened the stitching quite roughly in a few spots in his hurry for them to leave.

Kyra had questions for Connor, but she decided to hold off on them until they were departing the ARC.

Kyra grabbed some gauze and tape and shoved the supplies in her jacket.

"Come on, I'll finish it off in the car." She said, looking Connor in the eyes.

Connor nodded as they raced off to wherever Connor was leading them.

* * *

"I can not believe that you held a gun to my face!" Jenny shouted at Nick as they entered the Main Operations Room.

"I don't know why you're complaining," he chuckled, "it all worked out—in a roundabout way."

Abby leaned against Stephen as they walked in behind Nick and Jenny. "Can't we just go back to the flat?"

"Why? Are you feeling sick?" Stephen asked.

"I've—I've just not been sleeping well. Nightmares, on and off." Abby replied shaking her head."

Stephen pulled Abby into a hug. "I can drive you home, if you feel this is too much for you, Abby. Nick, Jenny, and I can handle this."

Abby shook her head, "No, no, I'm staying."

"I hate to break up this love fest, but I'm afraid we have more pressing matters." Lester interrupted, walking into the Main Operations Room, putting a tie on after getting patched up by one of the medics.

"Like what?" Stephen asked, "I'm besides the obvious."

"Control of the ARC had been restored to us, but it appears that our little friend in the holding cells has pulled a Houdini." Lester announced.

"Helen." Cutter spat.

"It seems it's something that runs in the family." Lester muttered crossing his arms.

"Nonono, you don't understand," Cutter interjected. "K.C.'s not related to Helen in any way."

"If you say so."

"He's right though, James." Jenny chimed in. "Recheck those blood tests."

"Well, whoever came and broke our little jailbird free, we'll never know seeing as Leek still had control of the surveillance feed during the future predator attack." Lester shook his head, refusing to admit he was wrong.

"Well, whoever it was, they were a crack shot." Stephen pointed out. "Those three predators downstairs were shots dead in the heads and the hearts as well."

"There was also some sort of flash device by the carcasses. Somebody must have known their weaknesses." Abby added.

"So, how the hell are we supposed to find the creep?" Jenny asked.

Cutter noticed a red light emitting from underneath the van that they had deduced smuggled the future predators into the building.

He jogged over to the van and peered underneath to see a timer underneath the van.

"Everybody out! Stephen! Stay behind with me!" Cutter ordered.

"Whatever for?" Lester asked casually.

"There's a bomb!" Cutter yelled as everyone began pouring out of the room.

* * *

Stephen and Cutter slid under the van to look at the timer, twenty seconds left.

"Try pulling the battery out," Stephen suggested, hurriedly.

"Stay here and countdown for me!" Cutter called as he slid out and popped the hood of the van.

"Listen, Nick, I just wanted to say that I'm really—" Stephen began.

"Stephen, will you just shut up and count down for me?" Cutter cut him off as he struggled to get the battery out.

"Five…Four…Three…Two…No!" Stephen called as he heard a whirring noise above him, signaling that Cutter had successfully gotten the battery out.

Suddenly, Leek's picture came on the ADD, "good show, gents," he greeted.

"Leek." Cutter spat.

"I understand that you're all looking for me."

"Gee, I wonder what gave you that idea?" Stephen asked sarcastically.

"I'll make a deal with you, since there's something to be had for both sides." Leek bargained.

"What could you possibly have that we would want?" Nick asked.

"Two things really." Leek laughed. "K.C. and the most heavily populated locations of where I plan to drop off some of the deadliest creatures known to man."

"So, you were the one that broke her out?" Cutter asked.

"Let's see her, how do we know that you're even telling the truth?" Stephen questioned.

"Well, I guess that you'll just have to come and find out, now won't you?"

"What is it that you want?" Cutter asked, clenching his fists.

"All of the research on the anomaly project and for you to keep Lester off my tracks. Expect a text containing my location shortly. Oh, and Professor, don't try anything stupid."

* * *

Kyra had finished wrapping her stitched hand and tapped it to the best of her abilities before turning to the completely different Connor Temple.

"So, where are we going?" She asked.

"Don't worry, something big is about to happen and we have to make sure we're there."

Kyra nodded her head.

"What happened to you, Connor? You seem so different."

"This is what happens when you get stuck traveling through the anomalies for a fairly long time." Connor said, not taking his eyes off of the road.

"Did you find Helen?"

Connor didn't answer.

"Connor."

"It doesn't matter what I found, listen, we need to be somewhere. Once everything happens the way it's supposed to, everything will make much more sense to you, K.C."

Kyra couldn't recall Connor being present when her name was mentioned, but she assumed that he might have overheard Lester's conversation with her and pushed the thought from her mind.

"Which reminds me, what did you do with my device that you stole from me?"

* * *

Helen approached Leek from out of the shadows in the bunker that they were hiding out in.

"Don't forget our deal now, Oliver." She smiled. "I don't like to be disappointed."

"I'll remember my end of the bargain, just make sure you hold up yours." Leek sneered as he pushed a button that released food for the various creatures that he was keeping in laser cages below the control room.

* * *

Please Review! ;D

Stabby bits in the next chapter! ^^


	21. Because of You

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 21****: Because of You**

It was a fairly quiet ride. The last person that had said anything was Kyra when she demanded the whereabouts of her device, which Connor had still refused to reveal to her.

"I lost it." Connor announced, breaking the silence.

"Sorry?" Kyra asked to clarify. "Are you talking to me, now?"

"It's been awhile—since I've been around people—look, I lost your device." He spoke solemnly.

"You. Lost. My. Device?" She asked through gritted teeth. "How the hell do you lose such a precious piece of hardware?"

"I'll get you a new one."

"Get me a new—do you have _any_ idea how far off into the future I had to go to acquire that thing?"

"I'll _build_ you a new one." Connor spoke turning to smile at Kyra.

Kyra half-smiled back, pushing her fears to the back of her mind.

* * *

"Have you _completely_ lost your mind, Nick?" Jenny asked incredulously as Cutter and Stephen finished packing up supplies needed for their recon mission.

"You know what? Maybe I have." Cutter replied sarcastically. "I welcome a possible traitor with open arms, believe she's my daughter, and all hell breaks loose."

"Look," Jenny laughed, "I don't want to know the details of your love child that you had with Claudia Brown, I just want to know why I'm not allowed to 'tag-along' on this mission."

Cutter stopped what he was doing and looked back at Stephen, who stared at him.

Cutter moved toward Jenny who stood with her arms crossed.

"This has nothing to do with Claudia Brown," He spoke softly. "This is about _your_ safety."

"You—" Jenny was cut off by Cutter crushing his lips against hers.

"That's never going to change any one's mind on the matter." Jenny replied, trying to sound angry.

Cutter kissed her once more, but this time, Jenny returned the kiss.

"I'm still going." Jenny replied, breaking the kiss.

"Dammit." Cutter cursed.

"Sorry."

"Your life could be at risk."

"So is yours, but I don't see that stopping you."

"Abby," Stephen said, calling her attention away from Nick and Jenny.

"What?"

"You don't have to do this. This is up to Nick and myself. Leek only wants us. We—we made a mistake by telling you and Jenny. It's only gonna make things harder." Stephen explained.

"Stephen, like Jenny said, there's absolutely nothing you two can say that will make us stay behind." Abby answered sternly.

"You said yourself that you haven't been sleeping well. If anything happens to you, I—"

"Stephen, I'll be fine." Abby answered, staring him in the eyes.

Stephen put one hand on the back of Abby's head and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his other arm around her as she returned the embrace.

Suddenly, images shot threw Abby's mind. Images of a door closing, locking Stephen inside with creatures; Abby screaming, pounding on the door until her hands were bloody; a future predator trying to attack her, the future predator's dead body in a pool of blood; Abby running blindly, pursued by creatures and footsteps; Helen's offer.

"Oh God." Abby gasped.

"What? What is it?" Stephen asked worriedly.

"It—it's nothing."

Abby's sudden change in behavior caught the attention of Nick and Jenny who sauntered over to the pair.

"Are you sure?" Stephen asked.

"Abby, are you okay?" Cutter asked.

"I—I'm fine. Look, I really don't think that anyone should be going on this mission, no matter the costs." Abby stated shakily.

"If we don't go, millions of people could lose their lives." Cutter pointed out.

Abby didn't want her nightmare to come to fruition, but she didn't want anyone to die because of her trying to prevent it.

"Alright, but we all go together." Abby relented.

* * *

Connor and Kyra pulled up to an abandoned warehouse bunker.

"What-what are we doing here?" Kyra asked puzzled.

"This is the end of the road for now." Connor answered as he switched off the engine and climbed out.

"The end? Why is this the end of the road?" She inquired hesitantly.

"Come on, we haven't got much time." Connor said impatiently.

"Fine, I'm coming." Kyra replied annoyed, as she climbed out of the truck and followed Connor into the bunker.

* * *

As they headed toward the location that Leek provided them, Cutter's mobile rang.

"Are you going to answer that?" Jenny asked when Cutter didn't immediately answer the call.

"Nope, because I already know who it is."

"Who?"

"It's Lester." Stephen chimed in.

"Hm. Call me stupid but isn't he going to find out what we're up to one way or another?" Jenny asked.

Nick shot Jenny a look and answered the call in order to silence everyone.

"What?"

"Hello to you too. And, where may I presume you are going with the rest of the high-profile members of the ARC?"

"Just out for a family lunch. Nothing to concern yourself with Lester."

"I see. So, that's why you're coming up on the GPS as heading toward the outskirts of the city?"

"It's a picnic."

"Let's just quit beating around the bush and you tell me exactly what's going on, Cutter. Preferably, before I send out a military escort."

"We're going to take care of a deal I made with Leek." Cutter answered bluntly.

"Good. Return to the ARC and I'll see that he is warmly received—"

"No. He specifically requested us. He also threatened to dump the worst creatures he's collected in heavily populated areas if you and your lackeys interrupt. I'm not about to put anyone else's life on the line. Give us at least an hour. If you don't hear from us, send in the cavalry."

With that, Cutter hung up on Lester.

* * *

Connor and Kyra were deep in the bowels of the bunker, when Kyra decided to begin her questioning.

"So, ya know, out of curiosity, do you have any idea where the hell we're going? Or has this entire trip just been for funzies?"

"We're nearly there." Connor answered.

As they cleared another set of stairs, they came to a door, which Connor pushed open to reveal a similar party.

"Helen?" Kyra asked confused.

"Hello, Kyra. Surprise!" Helen greeted with fake sentiment.

"You!" Kyra noticed Leek and reached for a gun that she very well knew wasn't there, causing him to laugh.

"Welcome back to the winning team, you did change teams for the final time, right?" He smirked.

Kyra wanted to kick his face in, but resisted the urge. Instead, she turned to Connor.

"You knew about this?" She asked in disbelief.

He didn't answer and Kyra began to grow even more worried.

However, a beeping soon interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, that's me." Leek laughed. "It appears that our final guests are here and the party can now begin."

"Watch them." Leek ordered the two Cleaners, gesturing to Connor and Kyra, as he and Helen left the room to greet Cutter and the others.

* * *

Please Review!


	22. Decisions

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 22****: Decisions**

Nick Cutter struggled toward consciousness. He felt someone's lips kissing his. Part of his mind told him that it was Jenny and he returned the kiss.

However, realization kicked in, reminding him that he, Jenny, Stephen, and Abby were prisoners of Leek.

He heard a voice.

"Nick. Nick, wake up."

Helen.

Nick's eyes shot open as he pushed Helen away from his face.

"I told them not to hurt you." Helen muttered sympathetically as she caressed his face.

"What's going on here?" Nick inquired as he pushed Helen away from him.

"Have a look." Helen smiled, standing as bright lights flooded the room to reveal a room full of creatures in laser-barred cages.

He saw Jenny and the others standing in awe.

"Do you like my personal zoo?" Leek asked, smirking.

"You're gonna upset the evolutionary cycle if you don't return these creatures." Cutter replied smugly as he wandered around the room looking at each of the creatures he'd encountered during his time with the anomaly project.

"Separate them." Leek ordered the guards. "put them in different holding cells."

"What?" Jenny asked.

"No." Abby protested.

"It's fine. It'll be okay." Cutter reassured them as he and Jenny were led to a separate room from Abby and Stephen.

* * *

"Connor, what the hell is going on?" Kyra pleaded.

"You'll see soon enough. Just be patient." He replied, eyes on the floor.

"The whole world could be gone by then!"

"At least you'll be in a safe place." Helen spoke as she and Leek returned.

"I want to know what's going on, right now." Kyra repeated.

"A new form of world domination." Leek answered, smiling.

"This coming from the man, who left me for dead, locked in a cage, surrounded by future predators." Kyra muttered.

"Really?" Helen asked, looking to Leek.

"No harm was going to come to her. She was only playing the part to get closer to Cutter and she just about blew the whole thing to smithereens." Leek explained.

"That's a damn lie! If Connor hadn't shown up when he did, I'd be dead." Kyra shouted holding up her injured hand. "Sadly, I can't say that I got away unscathed."

"I really wouldn't test her, Oliver. You've never seen her full capabilities; but then again, if she's been with Nick and his little gang this long, she might have grown soft." Helen said.

"What happened to Connor?" Kyra asked, ignoring Helen's comments.

"Nothing, I happened to run in to him and pointed him in the right direction. You, on the other hand, were supposed to have stayed behind at the base and you disobeyed my orders and ended up captured."

"I'm 27 years old Helen. You should have more faith in me. Besides, it's Leek you should be keeping an eye on."

Helen glared at Kyra and turned to the monitors to turn them on, switching the feed back and forth between Stephen and Abby and Cutter and Jenny.

* * *

"Stephen, we really need to get out of here." Abby whispered.

"As much as I'd like to agree, we probably won't get very far because they took our weapons." Stephen reasoned.

"We'll fight them hand to hand. Listen, the reason I haven't been able to sleep is because of a recurring nightmare. The very same nightmare that probably put me in the hospital in the first place."

"You never did tell me what happened in the nightmare, Abby." Stephen replied, holding her close.

"It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here." Abby repeated.

Helen switched the feed, more interested in what her estranged husband was up to.

"It's not like we have anything else to worry about, imminent death for example." Jenny said as she paced the small room, heels clicking against the cement.

"It's gonna be okay. We're not gonna die. Helen's a lot of things, but she's not a killer." Cutter assured her.

"You really think she's behind this?"

"Yeah, Leek doesn't have the wit to do this on his own."

* * *

Leek shut the monitors off.

"He's seen what I can do and he still belittles me." Leek muttered angrily.

Kyra snickered in the background.

"He's right, you know. Without Helen, I doubt you'd have gotten this far." Kyra laughed.

Leek glared at her, "yes, well, we'll see who gets the last laugh, won't we?"

"You won't forget our little deal, Oliver." Helen interjected, brandishing her hunting knife. "Nothing happens to Nick."

Leek nodded and walked out of the room.

"Can I leave now?" Kyra asked annoyed.

"Shh." Helen silenced the younger girl, as she switched the feed back on and continued to watch Nick and Jenny.

* * *

"Whatever Leek's planning with those creatures, I'm sure Helen has her own agenda. She always does." Nick spoke softly.

"Lester says she's mad."

"No, no, she's extraordinary."

Jenny scoffed. "Extraordinary? She tried to kill you!"

"No, that was Leek. Bombs aren't her style."

"But kidnapping is?"

"She must've had her reasons."

"God, anyone one else would think you're still in love with her."

"Maybe I am."

A torn look crossed Jenny's face, but she quickly composed herself, hoping that Nick had an ace up his sleeve.

"Either way, it's not about love or hate anymore. We shared something. Something that goes way too deep and there's nothing I can do about it." Cutter concluded.

Cutter noticed Jenny involuntarily shiver.

"Hey, you cold?"

"It's kinda hard not to be down here." Jenny replied icily.

"Come here." Cutter said gently, taking off his jacket.

Jenny stood and walked over to him, graciously taking the jacket and laying her head on his shoulder.

* * *

Helen shut the feed off.

"Oh, God, I think I'm gonna be sick." Kyra moaned sarcastically.

No one said anything.

"I'm outta here." Kyra announced as she stood.

Guns were suddenly cocked and aimed at her. Helen even aimed a gun at her.

"You're supposed to be on my side Helen."

"Yeah, well, if you leave, I won't have any other leverage against Nick and I'll be forced to feed Stephen and the others to the creatures to get him to cooperate." Helen smirked.

Kyra felt Connor grip her uninjured hand and jerk her back down to her uncomfortable seat.

"The opportune moment." He whispered.

"Is there some prehistoric cat that's got your tongue or something that you only talk when you feel like it?"

"Trust me."

"We'll see."

Helen returned to the screens and turned them back on to spy on Stephen and Abby.

"Now." He whispered.

"What?"

Connor kicked the two guards feet out from under them and Kyra secured their guns.

"I was thinking the same thing, just waiting for the perfect moment." Kyra replied cynically.

Helen spun around to see Kyra run out the door. Connor stopped in the door and turned to her.

"Don't forget our deal." He said before turning and running after Kyra.

"Oh don't worry, I almost always keep my word." Helen smiled as called for more guards to escort her to visit the other captives.

* * *

Please Review! ;D

Sorry that Connor's acting like such a total nutcase, being quiet and all; but you'll find out why in the next couple chaps! Possible Stabby kiss in the near future!^^


	23. Change of Apathy

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 23****: Change of Apathy**

"Stop!" Kyra hissed as she halted in the dark hallway.

"What are we stopping for? I thought the plan was to leave?"

"We're leaving _after_ we get the others outta here and Leek is behind bars."

"And Helen?"

"We'll have a proper chat when all is said and done."

Connor nodded and looked at Kyra. "So what's the plan?"

"We need to find the location of those creatures that Leek is planning to drop off. Then, we need to get rid of those creatures downstairs."

"And how do ya propose we do that? It's not like we have access to Leek's personal files."

Kyra's eyes lit up as she looked at Connor. "Connor, you're brilliant! I could just kiss you right now!"

She quickly kissed Connor on the cheek.

"All we need is a computer."

"Fresh out."

"What—You _always_ have a computer on hand!"

"I have kinda been stuck running through anomalies for God knows how long, remember?"

"Right. Sorry. Nearest computer?"

"We just left it."

"Super." She rolled her eyes.

"Guess we heading back." Kyra sighed as she stepped around Connor and started to walk until Connor grabbed her arm.

"There's an anomaly opening up in about an hour. We can get out of here, before things get any worse here." Connor spoke softly.

* * *

The door to where Abby and Stephen were being kept opened and Helen entered.

"Helen." Abby and Stephen spat in unison.

"What so you want?" Stephen inquired.

"Oh, nothing. I just came to give you one last chance."

"Chance?" Stephen asked quizzically.

"I asked you to come with me once. You refused. I'd still like you to come with me, Stephen. I still care about you." Helen smirked.

Stephen looked at Abby and back to Helen.

"I don't think so."

"You're rejecting me a second time?"

"I'm telling you no; because I know that you'll just kill everyone in the end, Helen."

"What do you have to miss here, Stephen? The lizard girl?"

"_My_ _name is Abby_." Abby spat as she stepped forward.

"You didn't seem to _worried_ about missing anything the other day." Helen smirked.

"You bitch." Stephen spoke, venom lining his words.

"Stephen, how could you?"

"Abby," Stephen replied, looking at her. "Nothing happened. She's lying. You-you have to believe me. It's only you."

Abby remained silent.

"Goodbye, Stephen." Helen smiled as she turned to leave.

"Take them and Ms. Lewis to wherever Leek wants them. And bring Nick to me." She ordered the guards as she left.

The guards entered and collected Abby and Stephen.

* * *

Nick stood in the control room, facing Helen.

"Hello, Nick."

"What's this all about, Helen?" He asked flatly.

"All of those scientific impossibilities out there, Nick. All the experiments that we can conduct. The power of the anomalies is ours for the taking."

"And you want me to come with you?"

"Yes. You're the only person that I want to share this power with."

"And what if this time we completely erase humanity?"

"Then, we can bring it back!" Helen spoke energetically. "Because I heard what you said, Nick, about still having feelings for me; and I'm willing to forgive you."

"Let the others go, and we can talk about this more sensibly." Nick replied.

"I'm afraid that's not an option, Professor." Leek interjected as he entered the room.

"Why not?"

Leek walked over to the main computers and brought up a video feed.

"I believe the Americans call it dinner theatre."

Cutter looked frantically at Helen. "Don't do this."

"You've had your fun, Oliver."

"Who said anything about fun? I'm downsizing the ARC." Leek laughed coldly.

* * *

"We're not leaving, Connor. We have to save the others." Kyra answered, pulling her arm out of Connor's grasp.

"Well, might as well shortcut it." Connor muttered as he pulled out his handgun.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Taking a shortcut." Connor replied as he shot one of the power boxes a few feet away.

"Great. Now, we've got to worry about loose creatures on top of everything else."

"All the more reason to run."

"No. I've got a better idea. Mobile?"

"Again with the technology?" Connor reminded her.

"Sorry! I keep forgetting! Back to base-camp I guess." She stated as they ran back towards Helen and the others.

* * *

The lights flickered off into exhaust power.

"Dammit. She must have gotten to one of the power boxes." Helen cursed.

"You let K.C. run amok?" Leek asked incredulously.

"I think 'escaped' is the more proper term." Helen spat.

Cutter laughed. "I was completely wrong. It looks as though K.C. is running things."

"You don't understand the repercussions of her actions, do you, Professor?" Leek asked.

"The creatures." Helen stated.

"Stephen, Jenny, and Abby."

"Well, I suppose that some things worked out in the end." Leek smiled.

Cutter swung a right hook at Leek, knocking him to the ground.

"I still have the locations of the creature drops _and_ I still have you." Leek chuckled as he aimed a gun at Cutter.

"We had a deal, Oliver." Helen cut in.

"I don't take orders from you!" Leek shouted, pointing the gun at her.

Cutter jumped Leek and managed to get the gun off of him as he aimed the gun at Helen.

"Those things you said about me—" Helen spoke, making the realization too late.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, did I hurt your feelings?" Cutter smirked.

Leek grabbed Cutter's leg and tripped him as he and Helen made a break for it.

* * *

"Stop." Connor called.

"Connor, we don't have time for this. Lives are at stake!" Kyra replied as she stopped and started to turn around.

"Oh." She said, surprised to see the scene before her.

"The whole saving charade is over." Connor spoke as he pointed the handgun at her.

* * *

A door opened on the side, and the Smilodon ran out as the power flickered.

Abby had tricked the creature into jumping and clawing a power box.

"Please don't do that again." Stephen pleaded as he went to hug her.

Abby ducked away from him.

"We need to find a way out of here." Jenny stated as they set off.

"If the power's out, that means that the creatures are on the move as well." Abby pointed out as they began searching for an exit.

* * *

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	24. Save Yourself

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 24****: Save Yourself**

"Connor, I'm really not kidding. If we don't get those coordinates to Lester and stop the creatures, we'll all die down here." Kyra spoke cautiously as she slowly stepped toward Connor.

Connor didn't lower the gun. "We have a way out of here."

"How? You said you lost the tech, remember?"

"We rendezvous with Helen."

Kyra nodded. "That's where your loyalties lie now?"

"Don't yours?"

"Mine lie in not killing people!" Kyra shouted at Connor as she raised her gun at him.

"Are you going to help me, or not?" Kyra asked after a short silence.

"We'll get the coordinates, but then we're finding Helen and leaving." Connor said lowering his gun, gesturing for her to lead the way.

"If Cutter and the others are still here, I'm not letting them die." Kyra warned as she turned and led the way back to Leek's base camp.

* * *

Cutter had wandered deep into the bunker. He was completely separated from his team and anyone for that matter.

He had encountered a future predator about 15 minutes ago and barely escaped with his life.

He had a nasty gash on his head, which dripped blood down the side of his head.

He hadn't managed to kill the creature; but knew that it had followed him via the smell of his blood.

He froze when he heard it behind him as he entered a vast room. He slowly turned to see the eight-foot creature stand before him, sniffing the air. Cutter held out his left hand, which he had accidentally cut when he dove out of the predator's way earlier.

As the creature went to sniff Cutter's hand, he ripped the neural clamp from it head, and watched as it fell dead at his feet.

* * *

Kyra and Connor entered the base camp and found Leek's laptop setting open on the table where the surveillance screens were.

Kyra managed to hack into the laptop and checked the remaining battery for the computer.

She looked at Connor. "Ten minutes to crack all of the firewalls and get the locations to Lester before the battery dies. I'm not even that good."

"Step aside." Connor ordered as he cracked his fingers and began typing furiously at the keyboard.

* * *

Jenny, Abby, and Stephen stumbled out into the sunlight. Jenny pulled out her cell phone, which luckily, Leek and his goons hadn't confiscated, and called Lester.

Stephen glanced around. "Where's Nick?"

Abby looked around as well, while Jenny tried to explain to Lester where they were.

"I don't know." Abby said.

"He has to still be down there." Stephen stated. "I'm going after him."

"I'm coming too." Abby announced.

"Look, no one is going anywhere." Jenny interjected, overhearing their conversation.

Stephen looked back at Abby. "I'll be back before you know it."

_"Stephen, open the door! Open it!"_

Abby's nightmarish visions began to cloud her mind.

She rushed forward and grabbed Stephen's arm. "Don't go. Cutter will be out any second now. Trust me, if you go in there, I have a feeling that you won't come back."

Stephen put his hands on either side on Abby's face and pulled her toward his face into a passionate kiss.

"Nothing happened between me and Helen this time around." He assured her.

Abby kiss him once more.

"I know—Stephen, please don't go." She pleaded heartbroken.

"Someone's gotta go save Nick and K.C. I'm coming back." He smiled as he ran off into the bunker.

"Stephen!" Abby and Jenny called after him.

"James, I need reinforcements here as soon as humanly possible. Stephen's just reentered the bunker to recover Nick and K.C."

* * *

"Sending coordinates now." Connor mumbled as he typed.

"Three minutes to spare, brilliant!" Kyra commented.

"Thanks." Connor muttered as he stopped typing.

"Wait, can you quickly open a video link to the ARC?"

"Why?"

"Got some words for Lester."

"We need to leave."

"It'll only take a second."

They were interrupted by a raptor that had entered where they had only minutes ago.

Connor aimed a gun at it.

"The Connor everyone knew wouldn't pull that trigger." Kyra commented, as she watched him.

"It's us or the raptor." Connor replied coldly.

"There has to be another way out." She spoke frantically as the raptor neared them, growling and preparing to lunge.

Connor cocked the gun.

"Don't do it, Connor."

The raptor leapt at them and Connor pushed Kyra away from him while he shot the raptor, causing it to fall on the laptop dead.

* * *

Abby stood outside the bunker, watching the entrance that Stephen had run off into earlier.

"Backup's on its way." Jenny commented.

Abby couldn't hear Jenny though, because the nightmare she had had off and on was drowning out her senses.

_"Stephen, open the door!" Nick Cutter yelled pounding on the deadlocked titanium door as he watched Stephen slowly back away from the door and towards his imminent demise._

_ "Sorry mate, I'm doing this one." Stephen called back._

_ "No, open this door, right now!" Cutter called back more furious than before as he pounded on the door. "Stephen!"_

_ "Tell Connor and Abby to stay out of trouble." Stephen smirked for the last time as all of the creatures he had previously fought encircled him, but what was far more horrific than his __"silent death,"__ was the indescribable look on his face right before it happened._

_ As Nick's face disappeared from the small window, there was someone who continued to pound on a door calling, no, __screaming__ for Stephen to get out of there even though it was clearly much too late. Abby was pounding on the door, screaming for Stephen to get out, despite the futile situation as her hands became bloodied._

Abby moved toward the bunker, as if gravity were pulling her in.

"Abby. Abby, what are you doing?" Jenny called.

"I'm going to stop a possible death." Abby muttered as she broke out into a sprint, running into the building.

* * *

Cutter ran down corridor after corridor, before coming to a set of stairs that he paused to rest on. He tried to force the images and sounds of Leek's gruesome death from his mind.

Leek tried to blackmail Lester using him as bait in exchange for power; but Cutter and Lester had both agreed that the safety of humanity was far more important than one person.

Cutter used Leek's distraction to jam the neural clamp into one of the power boxes that short-circuited the neural clamps and allowed the future predators' instincts to take over and devour Leek.

"Nick." Helen called to him.

Cutter looked up and glared at his estranged wife.

"Come with me, Nick. There's an anomaly open, we can escape through there and be safe." Helen explained.

"And what about K.C.? She was never really here, was she?" He asked angrily.

"Of course she was. She's gotten away. Come with me."

"No, if those creatures get out, humanity will be wiped out!" Cutter retorted.

"Forgetting someone?" Kyra announced as she and Connor entered the scene. Connor remained in the shadows, out of Cutter's sight.

"Actually, I was under the assumption that the pair of you were long gone." Helen commented.

"We got held up; but I do believe that you and I have quite a chat to have after this." Kyra commented.

"Who's we?" Cutter asked.

"Worry about it later, we've gotta round up the creatures."

"The only way you're going to do that is to get back to the feeding chamber and push the buzzer that announces feeding time. The creatures will respond to it and get trapped in the room." Connor spoke as he stepped out of the shadows.

"And eat each other alive." Helen finished as she looked at Nick, who was shocked to see Connor there.

"Connor." Cutter spoke quietly.

"Nick!" Stephen called as he came out the corridor Helen was trying to leading the group out of.

"Connor! How?" Stephen asked puzzled.

"Family reunions later, yeah?" Kyra spoke up as she led the way to the feeding room.

* * *

As the group made their way to the controller, Helen explained what would happen.

"Once we push this button, the creatures will come running, thinking there's food. We need to run fast out that door, because every door leading to this room will start to seal once all of the creatures have entered the room." Helen explained, gesturing to a door.

Abby was at the door that Helen had just gestured to, calling to the group.

"Stephen!" and then her eye caught Connor standing there. "Connor!"

She went to move into the room, but Stephen stopped her. "Wait there Abby, we're coming."

"Who wants to do the honors?" Kyra asked sarcastically.

"Now is not the time for games." Cutter commented.

"You're such a buzz-kill." She retorted.

"I'll do it." Helen announced.

"Start running." She said as she pushed the button and waited a few seconds as the buzzer echoed throughout the building.

Helen started to run toward the others when she noticed a raptor. She ran faster and dove through the door, but the raptor caught her foot.

"Help me!" She begged as Stephen and Cutter tried to pull her in.

While trying to get a hold of something to help him pull Helen further through the door, Cutter accidentally knocked out the boxed that controlled the door they were at, stopping it form closing.

Kyra pulled out her handgun and shot the raptor in the head, as Stephen and Cutter pulled Helen the rest of the way into the room.

"Hypocrite." Connor accused Kyra.

"Jealous?" She asked.

"It didn't make me feel any better, having killed it." Kyra finished when everyone, except Helen, shot her a dirty look.

"It's time to go." Helen announced to Kyra and Connor.

"What about the door?" Kyra asked. "The creatures aren't gonna stay in there if they notice this door's open."

* * *

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	25. Last Resort

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 25****: Last Resort**

"Start running." She said as she pushed the button and waited a few seconds as the buzzer echoed throughout the building.

Helen started to run toward the others when she noticed a raptor. She ran faster and dove through the door, but the raptor caught her foot.

"Help me!" She begged as Stephen and Cutter tried to pull her in.

While trying to get a hold of something to help him pull Helen further through the door, Cutter accidentally knocked out the boxed that controlled the door they were at, stopping it form closing.

Kyra pulled out her handgun and shot the raptor in the head, as Stephen and Cutter pulled Helen the rest of the way into the room.

"Hypocrite." Connor accused Kyra.

"Jealous?" She asked.

"It didn't make me feel any better, having killed it." Kyra finished when everyone, except Helen, shot her a dirty look.

"It's time to go." Helen announced to Kyra and Connor.

"Connor's not going anywhere with you." Stephen objected.

"Neither is K.C." Cutter added.

"What about the door?" Kyra asked. "The creatures aren't gonna stay in there if they notice this door's open."

"It can only be closed from the inside now." Helen replied.

"Which means one of us has to go in and close it." Nick finished.

"This is your fault!" Abby shouted at Helen.

"How? I'm not the one, who shot the power boxes, and I'm certainly not the one, who disabled this door." Helen shrugged.

They all glanced at each other.

"I'll do it." Stephen volunteered.

"No!" Abby shouted, grabbing his arm. "That nightmare I kept having, this was it. You die here and I'm not about to let that happen!"

Stephen looked at Abby "why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I didn't want to believe this would actually happen!"

Helen looked at Connor, who nodded, and grabbed something out of her head before exiting the corridor.

"Where's he gone?" Abby asked worriedly.

"I believe we have more pressing matters at hand, like closing this door." Helen answered, diverting the attention back to the door.

"I'll do it." Cutter volunteered aloud with a sigh.

Kyra, the only one with any weapons on her, felt her heart sink and then jump into her throat.

"You're to valuable to this project, Cutter." She reasoned.

"I guess you'll all just have to carry on without me." He replied coldly, as his voice cracked.

Helen didn't say anything.

Kyra pulled out the sunglasses she'd worn earlier when Connor had saved her from the future predators and looked at Cutter.

"You're not going." She answered.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not letting you go into that room!" Cutter screamed at her.

"I don't remember my parents, Helen's all I've had till you and your gang arrested me. You'll be all right without me, Cutter. You were a pretty okay dad." Kyra explained as she kissed Cutter on the cheek before knocking him out to the floor.

"What are you doing, K.C.?" Stephen and Abby asked.

"Stopping the deaths, like I promised." Kyra answered with a smirk.

Stephen steeped forward. "You're not going into that room."

Kyra pulled out a tranquillizer from her jacket. "Remember when you called a truce and I said just give me a gun and we'll call it even?"

Kyra aimed the tranq at Stephen and pulled the trigger and kicked him backwards toward Abby.

"We're even." Kyra shrugged, backing toward the door.

"Helen, I had questions for you, but I guess they're gonna go unanswered."

Helen merely watched as Kyra entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"I'll see ya in Hell, yeah?"

Cutter snapped awake as he heard the door closed and jumped up to see who opened the door.

"Kyra, open this door! Open it!" He shouted.

"You know that's not gonna happen. It's too dangerous. Tell Lester he's welcome for the locations. Be nice to the others, they're gonna need you." Kyra said as she backed away from the door, sunglasses still covering her eyes.

"It was supposed to be me! Open—open this damn door!" Cutter screamed.

"Don't be so narcissistic! It doesn't suit you." She called with a smile.

Kyra looked around as the final door closed and sealed. All the creatures began to circle her.

"I can—I can get you out of there!" Cutter called horrified, as he glanced out the small window on the door.

"Make sure you tell everyone what happened here today. Don't mention me though. But if ya do, make sure you tell them I wasn't on any wrong side of the court." Kyra called.

The creatures were starting to close in and Kyra felt a lump in her throat. Her heart rate started to increase as she watched the creatures.

'A lifetime of traveling through anomalies and this is how it's going to end. Brilliant. If I shot at any of them, they'll just attack me faster.' She thought terrified.

"Actually Cutter, just tell them about what Leek did here, leave out all the rest." She announced.

"Damn, I wish I had a cigarette since I'm gonna die anyway." She muttered.

She looked up and saw the future predators crawling down from the ceiling. She also noticed Cutter drop away from the window out of the corner of her eye.

"Here's your cigarette." Connor said as he handed her the cigarette.

Kyra turned to see Connor standing next to an anomaly.

"Coming?" He asked as he pulled her through and closed the anomaly as the creatures dove at where she had been standing mere seconds earlier.

The creatures began tearing each other apart, creating horrible noises that would haunt anyone for the rest of their lives.

Helen had seen what Cutter had not and stepped around Abby and an unconscious Stephen and made her get away through the anomaly that was waiting for her, where she planned to meet up with Connor and Kyra.

* * *

Cutter stayed crouched in front of the door, while Abby cradled Stephen, crying for the ARC's loss.

Jenny and the military men had arrived minutes later with medics.

"Where are the creatures?" Jenny asked, until she heard the horrible noises.

Some medics helped Abby with Stephen, who was still unconscious because of the tranquilizer dart, and exited the bunker to one of the ambulances.

Jenny saw Cutter huddled by the door and walked over.

"Is he alright?" One of the medics asked as they approached Cutter with Jenny.

Jenny gestured for them to stay back for a bit as she drew closer to him.

She bent down and hugged Cutter, "Nick, where is K.C.?"

"She locked herself in there with the creatures." He sobbed.

* * *

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	26. Here We Are

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue****.**

**Chapter 26****: Here We Are**

Kyra stumbled to her feet. She felt dizzy and sick at the same time.

She was half-aware of the cigarette still in her mouth that she had yet to smoke and of Connor's presence.

"Come on, we have to find Helen." Connor said as he put her arm around his neck and wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her away from where they landed after jumping through the anomaly at the last possible second.

* * *

Abby drove back to Stephen's flat, as Stephen rested in the passenger seat, still recovering from the tranquillizer dart.

Her foreboding dream had not come to fruition and Stephen had survived; but at the cost of K.C. and Connor, who apparently switched sides.

Abby tried to wrap the past 24 hours around her head.

Was Connor now their enemy? Was this the reason he stayed away for so long?

Helen didn't seem too worried about K.C. sacrificing herself. Now that Helen had managed to add Connor to her arsenal, Abby was worried that Helen would become unstoppable.

Cutter wasn't dealing with how things turned out too well. He had locked himself in his office the second they returned to the ARC. Jenny had tried to talk to him, but he refused to see or even speak to anyone.

Abby helped Stephen out of the car and up the stairs to the flat.

* * *

Cutter sat in his office. His eyes were burning from all the tears he had shed.

His daughter, Kyra Caterina Cutter, had sacrificed herself to save everyone else. She died praising he and Helen, of all people.

She covered her eyes with sunglasses as she locked herself in the room, but Cutter could tell that she was absolutely terrified of what was about to happen to her.

His heart ached even more as he remembered shouting his empty promise to get her out.

Cutter out of his chair as the doorknob dropped to the ground and the door swung open to reveal a soldier and Jenny Lewis.

"Thank you, I'll have someone come later to repair it." Jenny smiled as the soldier nodded and to his leave.

"What the hell did you do to my door?" Cutter shouted.

"We need to talk." Jenny spoke.

"I said that I didn't want to speak to anyone, let alone see anyone." Cutter said, still fuming.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened to K.C., it wasn't your fault, Nick."

"I was supposed to stop her, that's my job and I didn't do it; and now it seems that we've lost Connor to the dark side as well."

"Connor was there?" Jenny asked shocked.

"He was with K.C. and Helen. He's working with her."

"So what do we do?"

"What can we do? With K.C. dead and Connor on Helen's side, we're going to have our hands full just trying to keep a step ahead of them." Cutter said as he slumped back into his seat.

"Don't tell me that the great Nick Cutter is going to give up now." Jenny spoke, trying to fill Cutter with some sort of confidence.

"What do you suggest that I do, Jenny? Ask nicely that Helen stop trying to destroy my life and my sanity?"

"Actually, I was going to suggest stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about Helen."

Cutter looked up at her.

Jenny walked over so that she was closer to him and kissed him. "I'm sure that there's at least one last trick up your sleeve to get Connor back."

Cutter watched as Jenny turned and started to walk toward the door.

"Oh, I have something that I thought you might find interesting." Jenny said as she turned and tossed a file on Cutter's desk.

"What is it?" Cutter inquired, picking up the file.

"The autopsy results of the sealed room. It took them ages to discern the animals; but there's something in there that you'll definitely want to look at." Jenny explained before leaving.

* * *

K.C. forced her eyes to open. She shot straight up as the memories of shutting herself in the room with the creatures came rushing back.

Her fear of shooting the creatures. Her final request. Connor saving her.

Something didn't click.

Now that she was safer and, better yet, alive, she could confront her suspicions.

* * *

Abby lay next to Stephen in bed, waiting for him to wake up.

It was nearly 5:30pm.

Stephen's eyes shoot open as he sat up looking around.

"Stephen, it's okay, you're safe. We're back at the flat." Abby explained, wrapping her arms protectively around him.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is K.C. shooting a tranquilizer dart at me and then kicking me." Stephen said, rubbing his head.

"K.C.—locked herself in the room. She's gone Stephen."

"And Connor?"

Abby merely shook her head.

"What time is it?"

"About 5:30pm." Abby mumbled.

Stephen lay back down and pulled Abby close to him, wrapping both arms around her.

"Let's just stay like this for now." Stephen spoke quietly.

Abby rested her head on his chest and stared at the burnt orange shadows the sunset was casting throughout the bedroom.

* * *

Connor stood on the front steps of the mansion with Helen, discussing their options and backup plans thanks to the failure at the bunker.

"So, what about our deal?" Connor asked as he stared at the electric gates, constructed to keep the creatures away from the mansion.

"If Oliver hadn't gotten so cocky and ruined everything, the ARC would be in our possession right now." Helen spat.

"You shouldn't have let him into the loop. Little people don't understand the gravity of the situation with the anomalies." Connor spoke flatly.

"What do you suggest?"

"We take the ARC head on. Cutter and the others will never see it coming."

"I agree with the plan; but infiltration of the ARC will take time and the Cleaner clones take quite a while to replicate." Helen explained.

"We'll wait for a time when the ARC members grow weaker from grief. They didn't see what happened did they?"

"No, Nick stopped looking shortly before you opened the anomaly; but he's no fool, he'll figure out sooner or later that Kyra isn't dead."

"And what are we going to do about her?"

"I think she's on our team to stay."

"Let's hope that it stays that way."

"Let today mark the day that the anti-ARC was born." Helen smiled as she shook hands with Connor.

* * *

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	27. Pledge Your Allegiance

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 27****: Pledge Your Allegiance**

Kyra wandered out of her room and began walking down the hall. She needed to know what was going on and if her theories were correct.

Something had to have happened to Connor during the time he was missing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so willingly aligned himself with Helen.

"I see you're awake." Helen spoke, causing Kyra to spin to see the person who had raised her.

"Helen. I just woke up a bit ago." Kyra greeted as everything came rushing back to her.

"Oh, by the way, about the whole 'see you in hell' thing."

"Don't worry about it." Helen responded, stepping closer. "I understand that you had to make it look good for Nick and the others. And you did exceptionally well."

"Did I?" Kyra asked confusedly, although she was at that point in time entirely convinced that she was going to die.

"I mean, I did." Kyra confirmed.

"And now, we've got bigger plans." Helen affirmed.

"Like what?"

"This is all dependent that you _are_ still with me."

"Of course I am."

Kyra was far from sure though. She couldn't decide if she liked tagging along with Cutter's gang or if she should continue her existence with Helen, who had basically raised her since she was a small child.

"Then, in that case, welcome to the Anti-ARC." Helen smiled.

"The Anti-ARC?"

"Of course, Connor, You, and myself. The Cleaners are or more less here as pawns to make sure that most of the dangers are taken care of before we go out on missions."

"Missions?"

"I'll let you know when the next one is." Helen smiled before she walked past Kyra and continued down the hallway.

* * *

Cutter and Jenny stood in Lester's office for debriefing.

"I specifically requested the four members of the main response team and unless my eyes are deceiving me, I only count two." Lester spoke without looking up at the pair.

"Care to explain where they are?" He asked turning to Nick and Jenny.

Jenny looked at Nick.

"I told them not to come in today."

"Ah. And when, may I ask were you appointed to a higher authoritative position than me?"

"It doesn't matter. Abby and Stephen have been through enough the past couple of days, we don't need to add to it by forcing them to come here to hear your banter." Cutter replied gruffly.

"Getting to the point of this half-assembly. I want to know what happened down there. From some of the earlier reports, I understand that K.C. was killed in action and once again, Helen slinks away to wherever it is she hides when she's not making everyone else's life difficult." Lester spoke, brushing off Cutter's comment.

"Connor was there." Cutter stated.

"Then, why don't I see him here or have a paper saying that he has been hospitalized for some ailment or another?"

"Because he's working for Helen." Jenny spoke when Cutter didn't.

"Well, this is certainly a sudden twist of events. When did he make this decision? Hm?"

"I don't know." Cutter replied. "There was something different about him, like he didn't want to be there or let anyone see him. He even _looked_ different."

"Presumably, he's not grown a third eye or a second head?" Lester asked looking up. "No?"

Cutter lunged at him, but Jenny pulled him back.

"Actually James, there's something the researchers found in the room the K.C. locked herself in that I think you might want to have a look at." Jenny spoke, placing the file she had shown Cutter yesterday in Lester's hands.

Lester skimmed through the file, closed it, and set it down on his desk.

"It appears that our mutual friend has pulled a Houdini, unless of course, the creatures developed some sort of accelerated digestion process before they devoured each other." Lester replied.

"So what do we do?" Jenny asked.

"I think at this point, we cut our losses and add K.C. and Connor to the wanted list with Helen and hope that at least one of them is playing pretend." Lester explained.

Cutter turned and stormed out of Lester's office, Jenny following behind him.

* * *

Helen had run into Connor as she went to collect the anomaly device she had decided to now keep on her, for Kyra's own good.

"She's awake." Connor guessed.

"Yes, but she seems distant."

"Probably still shaken from being pulled through the anomaly as fast as she was, so close to death."

"I need you to keep watch on the room. Keep her away from it no matter what. Just don't kill her, yet." Helen ordered before continuing on her way.

Connor watched as Helen walked away.

He was hoping that his plan to acquire the ARC would come to fruition so that he could do away with Helen. He had no intention of sharing the ARC with the likes of her.

* * *

Stephen returned from running. He had a lot on his mind; mainly everything that had happened at the bunker, apart from why Cutter had told him and Abby to stay home today.

Had Connor gone to the dark side with Helen, and if so, why?

What could Helen have possibly done or said that Connor would just disappear into the anomalies, not come back until yesterday, and align himself with Helen, of all people?

Stephen smelled something cooking as he walked further into the flat and found Abby, wearing a tank and sweats, in the kitchen cooking.

Her back was to him and didn't seem to hear him as he moved closer.

Stephen wrapped his arms around Abby and glanced at the stove.

"What are you cooking?" He asked.

"A surprise." Abby smiled as she turned and put a hand a Stephen's head and guided his lips to hers.

"I like surprises." Stephen smiled as he kissed her back.

"Really?" Abby said as she pulled out of the embrace.

"You don't strike me as the type that enjoys surprises." Abby smirked as she took a few steps backwards.

"You'd be surprised." Stephen smirked as he took a step forward.

"Nah, I don't think I will." Abby said playfully, shaking her head.

"Would you like to find out?" Stephen smiled as he closed the space and kissed her passionately.

"The food will go to waste." Abby reminded him as she smiled.

Stephen reached over and shut the stove off, not taking his eyes from Abby's.

"Now, it won't." Stephen beamed as he pulled Abby closer to him and began to kiss her deeply, each of them running their fingers through the other's hair as they moved from the kitchen to better accommodations.

* * *

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	28. Feeding the Fire

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 28****: Feeding the Fire**

Kyra sat on the ground on the roof patio, leaning against the bars. She had her eyes closed, listening to the sound of the creatures surrounding the mansion as the warm breeze tickled her face.

It had been entirely too long since she'd been able to just sit up here and relax; but she was still troubled.

Troubled by Helen's odd behavior as well as Connor's.

She had fallen asleep sometime during her musings as a strangely familiar dream came rushing back.

_The building was on fire, people were screaming and running. There was a small girl, not much older than 3 or 4, who stood in the corridor confused and crying looking for her parents._

_ Nick Cutter ran to the small child with Claudia Brown's hand in his._

_ He held the girl in his arms tightly and then pulled her back so that they were looking at each other eye to eye._

_ "Kyra, listen to me, you're gonna go with your mum. There are some bad people that have gotten into the ARC and if I don't stop them they'll destroy everything."_

_ Tears were still pouring from the child's eyes, "but I want you to come with us, daddy."_

_ Cutter wiped the child's tears away, "its okay, everything's gonna be alright."_

_ "But-but you always say that when you know it's not and something bad's gonna happen. I don't want you to get hurt!" Kyra cried as Claudia picked her up, Cutter embracing and kissing them both as Claudia began to run with Kyra in her arms._

_ Kyra screamed after Cutter, who ran back towards the fire._

_ Gunshots were heard and the two of them got scared._

_ Claudia set Kyra down on the ground, "listen to me darling ok?"_

_ Kyra nodded._

_ "I'm gonna go and find your dad. I want you to run outside and hide away from the building ok?"_

_ Kyra nodded. "You're not gonna leave too?"_

_ "I will my darling, but I'm just gonna get your dad and we'll come find you. It-it's kinda like that game you love so much, hide and seek? Go, I'll start counting. One, two, three…"_

_ Kyra did as she was told and ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. Only, Kyra couldn't remember how to get out of the building. She was in a part of the ARC she'd never been in before and grew very scared._

_ Suddenly, a tall woman came around the corner and bent down to Kyra. "Come with me." She said._

_ "Mommy says I shouldn't talk to strangers."_

_ Helen smiled, "But I'm not a stranger, I'm your guardian angel. I'm here to take you to safety."_

_ "What about mommy and daddy?"_

_ "They'll be just fine." Helen lied._

_ She picked the girl up and pulled out a device and opened an anomaly._

_ "Daddy said I should stay away from those shiny circles." Kyra announced._

_ "These aren't dangerous, love. They'll take us to fantastical places." Helen replied as she stepped through the anomaly carrying the small child in her arms._

Kyra shot awake and looked around, before remembering where she was, still on the rooftop.

She couldn't figure out why she didn't remember all this time. It all seemed like some livid, reoccurring nightmare that her imagination conjured; and she was so young at the time.

Helen had the answers Kyra needed.

Why Connor had become a traitor and why she kept having nightmares in which Helen was behind the deaths/disappearances of her parents.

* * *

Stephen opened his eyes to see Abby lying on his bare chest, his arms around her.

He smiled to himself as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Abby groaned as she picked up her head to see Stephen's blue eyes staring back at hers.

"Morning beautiful." Stephen smiled.

Abby smiled back. "Morning; but I probably look horrible."

"What? No." Stephen answered as he hugged her.

"I just woke up, Stephen. My hair's probably a mess and—"

Stephen cut her off by crushing his lips against hers. "You look perfect."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Stephen." Abby said as laid on top of him and kissed him back.

Stephen rolled over so that he was over Abby.

"I'd say that it's gotten me far, so far." Stephen spoke as he leaned in and kissed Abby.

Abby pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.

A cell phone ringing interrupted them.

"It's Cutter." Stephen said as he rolled over and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Stephen answered, trying to keep his breathing steady,

"Stephen, I need you and Abby to get to the ARC as soon as humanly possible. Something's come up." Cutter explained.

"What?"

"I don't want to say anything over the phone, just hurry and get here."

"On our way." Stephen said as he hung up.

"Time to go. Cutter found something." Stephen explained as he kissed Abby once more before getting out of bed and getting dressed.

* * *

"What are you going to do if and when we have another run-in with Helen, K.C., and Connor?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know yet; but I'm wondering if Helen's playing some sort of game with us. Something to throw us off of what she's really after." Cutter answered.

"You know that if we do run into them again, we have to treat them like our enemies." Jenny explained.

"I don't believe that Connor would just turn on us like this. K.C.'s a different story."

"Nick, maybe she was meant to be against us."

Cutter looked up at Jenny. "And Connor? Do you think that he was _meant_ to be against us as well?"

"That's not what I said." Jenny defended.

"We're here." Abby announced as she and Stephen entered Cutter's office.

"We've got a slight problem." Cutter began.

"K.C. is not dead." Jenny cut-in. "It was all a ruse."

"But we don't know that for sure." Cutter retorted.

Jenny was about to say some thing when Stephen jumped in.

"So what do we do? I mean, I know that we have no idea of knowing exactly where to find them. Hell, we don't even know why Connor joined them in the first place."

"Maybe _that's_ the ruse." Abby interjected.

"A red-herring more like," Jenny responded.

"Helen's using the pair of them, she has to be." Nick reasoned.

"But like you said, Nick, we _don't_ know for sure." Stephen argued.

* * *

Kyra returned to the lower levels of the mansion. She remembered seeing Helen wandering near a door quite a lot recently and wondered if maybe her answers were somewhere behind that door. She also noticed that it was the only door in the entire mansion that had a lock on it.

As she walked down the corridor, she half-wondered if Helen was watching her or if Helen was even in the mansion. Perhaps, Connor was lurking somewhere nearby.

'What could Helen possibly be hiding behind that door, that she couldn't trust me enough to tell me?' Kyra thought as she approached the door.

Her heart froze as she saw Connor come around the corner.

"Where are you going?" He asked casually.

"I'm taking a walk. Why do you care?" Kyra answered coldly.

"I'm not allowed to care?"

"No, not really."

"A couple of days ago you wanted to kiss me. Now, you want nothing to do with me."

'I'll have to check it another time, when he's not lurking in the hallway.' Kyra thought to herself.

"I've got to carry on with my walk. So, if you don't terribly mind, I'm going to continue on my way." Kyra said as she stepped around him.

"I'll come with you." Connor said as he turned and started to walk alongside her.

"What for?"

"Our mission's gonna start soon, and it'll be a lot easier if all of us aren't in completely different parts of the mansion." Connor explained.

"What mission?"

"We're going to take over the ARC."

* * *

Some long-awaited answers to come in the next chap!

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	29. White Lies

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 29****: White Lies**

As Connor and Kyra walked, Kyra tried to come up with some plan to dodge Connor so that she could find out what was behind that door with the padlock, preferably before they left to attempt to take over the ARC.

'Then again,' she thought, 'even if I do manage to dodge him for a bit, I have no way of getting past the padlock. Damn.'

It had to have been one of Helen's dirty secrets hidden behind the door, seeing as Connor hadn't been with them that long; but Kyra couldn't remember ever seeing the padlock before she had come back.

Whatever it was, Kyra apparently wasn't allowed in on the secret.

Connor and Kyra stood on the porch, where Connor had stood earlier making plans with Helen about invading the ARC.

The sun was starting to set. The creatures roaring and screeching in the distance.

"I could get used to this." Connor commented.

"To what? Living in the middle of nowhere with prehistoric creatures?" Kyra smirked.

"I'm used to it already." Connor commented as he leaned in and kissed Kyra.

Kyra returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. That was when she noticed it.

That string that Connor always had around his neck with the ring around it, was not around his neck.

'Maybe he just lost it while traveling the anomalies.' Kyra tried to convince herself.

They were interrupted by an odd beeping noise.

Connor put a finger to his ear. "Yeah? I'll be right there."

Kyra gave Connor an odd look.

"That was Helen, I need to go clear something up with her. We leave in twenty minutes." Connor explained.

"Here. That way we can communicate easier." Connor said handing Kyra an earpiece before disappearing back into the mansion.

"Here's my chance." Kyra muttered before putting the earpiece in and reentering the mansion as well.

* * *

"Abby, a word?" Stephen asked as he led her out of Cutter's office and down the hall.

"What is it?" Abby smiled.

"How would you like to share something?"

Abby gave him a puzzled look. "Like what?"

Stephen made a face and smirked, "a last name?"

"Stephen, are you asking me to—"

Stephen kneeled down on one knee before her, holding her hand. "Abby, will you marry me?"

Abby couldn't hold back the tears rolling down her eyes. "Yes, of course!"

Stephen stood, throwing his arms around Abby and spun in a circle laughing with her.

He put the ring on her finger and kissed her passionately. "I love you."

Jenny and Cutter were poking their heads out of the office watching the couple.

"They look so happy." Jenny smiled.

"Aye. I was wondering when it was going to happen." Cutter stated.

"Looks like James just lost ten quid." Jenny commented.

"For what?"

"Oh, I might've made a bet with him that those two would be engaged before summer and James bet the end of summer."

"Really? I can't believe you would do something like that." Cutter spoke amusedly.

"Well, it's not like I'm getting engaged again anytime soon." Jenny smiled to herself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cutter asked.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out professor." Jenny replied sarcastically as she left to collect her bet.

* * *

Kyra snuck down the halls back to the door she had seen earlier with the padlock.

She held the padlock in her hands as if it would tell her the secrets that it hid.

"I need to know what's behind this door." She mumbled.

The earpiece made a beeping noise.

Kyra reached a finger up and tapped it.

"What?"

"Meet us on the roof in three minutes." Helen instructed.

"On my way." Kyra said as she tapped the earpiece and released the padlock from her grasp as it clung against the door, still protecting the contents of the room.

* * *

Kyra made her way to the roof as quickly as possible.

When she made it there, Helen handed her a handgun.

"What's this for?" Kyra asked taking the gun and tucking it into the holster on the back of her jeans.

"We're going to pay a visit to the ARC. Nick and the others aren't exactly our biggest fans, mind you." Helen explained.

Kyra finally noticed the army of Cleaner clones, armed to the teeth, surrounding them.

"We're also bringing a few friends to ensure things don't go awry." Helen smiled.

"Out of curiosity, _why_ are we going to the ARC to take over?" Kyra asked.

Helen looked to Connor, who pulled out a hexagonal cylinder and handed it to Kyra.

"What's this?" she asked.

"That's what we're going to find out." Connor replied.

"And if no one cooperates, well, I think it's pretty obvious." Helen smirked.

"Now, we'll only have a few seconds to get through the anomaly before the detector announces that we've arrived." Helen announced to everyone.

"So we need to move fast. As soon as you clear the anomaly, subdue security, and bring the ARC team to the Main Operations Room unharmed." Kyra finished.

Helen turned and opened an anomaly as the group moved quickly through the anomaly and began the takeover.

* * *

Stephen, Abby, Jenny, and Cutter were in Lester's office, discussing possible scenarios about the anomalies and how to deal with Helen, Connor, and Kyra, when they heard the anomaly alert followed by gunshots and screams.

"What the hell's going on?" Stephen asked as they stepped out of the office to see Cleaner clones flooding the Main Operations Room.

"Helen." Cutter spat.

"What are we going to do?" Jenny asked.

"Are there any guns up here?" Cutter asked, turning around.

"Of course, I keep a secret stock in my filing cabinet." Lester replied sarcastically.

Cutter and the others glared at him.

"All the guns are in the armory, Helen's taken over the ARC, and we're screwed. Sorry." Lester restated, throwing his hands in the air.

"We can't fight her and those clones without weapons." Stephen pointed out.

"Maybe we won't have to." Cutter spoke.

"Handtohandcombat?" Abby suggested.

"How about just talking to her?" Cutter replied as he headed for the door.

"Are you insane? Nick, she'll _kill_ you."

"No she won't." Cutter replied as he walked out and down the ramp, the rest of the team and even Lester followed close behind him.

* * *

"Helen!" Cutter called.

"I'm glad you saved me the trouble of having to come look for you and your team." Helen greeted as she approached the group with Connor and Kyra close behind.

"Well, I see you've decided to return for a visit? Did you tire of time-hopping so soon?" Lester asked Kyra.

"Yeah, well, you know me, felt bad about leaving without saying goodbye." Kyra replied sarcastically.

"I think it's a bit late to be growing a conscience, don't you?" Lester asked, crossing his arms.

Kyra stuck her tongue out, like a two year old.

"What are you playing at, Helen?" Cutter cut in, trying to retain his anger.

"It's very simple Nick. I want the ARC and you invaluable abilities." Helen explained.

"Connor. What's Helen done to you?" Abby called.

Helen smiled.

"Just looking for a way to stay on the winning team." Connor replied.

"You're not gonna find it allying yourself with Helen." Jenny stated.

Kyra noticed the ring on Abby's finger.

"You're engaged. Since when?" She stated.

Abby glanced at the ring and back at Kyra.

"Does it matter to you?" Abby retorted.

"Not really. Just wondering." Kyra replied as she turned to Connor, who seemed unfazed.

"Connor, you're supposed to be on our side, mate." Stephen said as he stepped toward Connor.

Connor held a gun up to Stephen's face.

"You haven't seen what I've seen, so you wouldn't know which side I should be on." Connor stated as he pistol-whipped Stephen.

"What are you doing?" Abby screamed as she ran to Stephen's side.

Helen smiled as she looked back at Cutter. "I have a proposition that if you refuse, I'll be forced to destroy the ARC." Helen announced.

"What?" Connor asked angrily. "We had a deal."

"I'll still keep my end, as long as Nick helps me." Helen answered.

* * *

Some serious action and revelations in the next chap!

Please Review! ;D


	30. We Are

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 30****: We Are**

"_Lining up for the grand illusion  
No answers for no questions asked  
Lining up for the execution  
Without knowing why_"

**-"We Are" By Ana Johnsson**

Abby helped Stephen, who was now clasping a hand on his cheek to stop the bleeding from the small gash that Connor had given him, to his feet.

Helen turned back to Cutter.

"Do we have a deal, Nick?"

"Don't harm the others and I'll see what I can do." Cutter replied reluctantly.

"Nick, don't." Jenny warned.

"It'll be alright" he reassured.

Kyra blinked her eyes as parts of her recurring dream kept seeping through.

_Cutter wiped the child's tears away, "its okay, everything's gonna be alright."_

_"But-but you always say that when you know it's not and something bad's gonna happen. I don't want you to get hurt!"_

'Now is not the time to be getting emotional about some dream.' She mentally scolded herself.

"Kyra, you and Connor take the others and lock them up somewhere and have the doors guarded." Helen ordered without taking her eyes off Cutter.

"Kyra?" Jenny asked puzzled.

"_You're_ Kyra." Abby stated glaring at Kyra.

"Yep. That would be me, Kyra Cutter. I suppose it's time to ditch my rubbish alias K.C." Kyra shrugged.

Lester rolled his eyes.

"Aw, don't look so sad, James. It was a brain twister for all. The only person I told willingly, was Cutter." Kyra smirked.

Lester merely glared in response.

"Let's go." Connor ordered pointing his gun at the group.

Kyra pulled out her gun and Lester, Stephen, Abby, and Jenny followed Connor out of the Main Operations Room. Jenny threw concerned glances back at Cutter, who merely nodded his head in an attempt to calm her somewhat.

* * *

As they walked down the hallway, Stephen kept glancing between Connor, who was leading, and Kyra, who was covering the rear.

"Don't try anything stupid." Kyra warned. "I'd really hate to have to shoot you."

"Where's a good place?" Connor called back to Kyra.

'He seems lost.' Kyra noted to herself. 'What is _wrong_ with him?'

"Storage closet." Kyra replied, trying not to let on what she was noticing.

"You can't do this!" Jenny protested after she and the others were herded in the nearest storage closet.

"We just did." Connor smirked as he slammed the door shut and locked it.

Kyra whistled to one of the Cleaners.

"Stand guard here and don't move unless Helen instructs you, got it?"

The Cleaner merely nodded and did as he was told.

* * *

"What have you done to Connor?" Cutter asked angrily.

"I've done nothing. He saw the future. The destruction _you_ people have created and decided to join my cause." Helen shrugged.

Cutter shook his head. "Connor doesn't have a single bad bone in his body. The Connor _I_ knew would never have done what this Connor is doing."

"Believe what you want, Nick." Helen waved the statement away. "I'm here to get you to tell me what this is."

"And the ARC? Why do you want it?"

"Connor does. We made an agreement."

Cutter stood still for a bit, trying to figure out what to do. Should he try to buy some time to see if Kyra is still on his side? Or should he steal the object from Helen and get her to call off the hostile takeover?

"What do you want, Helen?" Cutter sighed.

Helen held the artifact out to Cutter, who held it and examined it.

"I found it in the future. I need you to tell me what it does and what it is."

"So what? So you can cause more problems?"

"I think it may be the key to time, Nick. If you help me—if you _come_ with me, we can stop the future predators from _ever_ existing." Helen explained, a deranged glint in her eyes.

"Evolution can't be bent to your will. Helen, nothing is going to stop the future predators from eventually existing." Cutter reasoned.

"I really hope you're wrong." Helen shook her head.

* * *

As she and Connor patrolled the halls of the ARC, Kyra's suspicions that Connor wasn't very familiar with the building were slowly coming to fruition.

Maybe Helen was somehow controlling him?

Maybe if she knocked him out now, she could search him or run off through an anomaly back to the mansion and shoot the lock off the door and discover the hidden secrets.

"So, what's the whole deal about getting the ARC?" Kyra asked instead.

"Don't worry about it. After Cutter deciphers the artifact, everything will fall into place." Connor replied flatly.

"So what's the deal with you and Helen, then?"

"Look," Connor sighed. "I get that you two have some sort of history together, but if Helen destroys this building because of Cutter, I _won't_ hesitate to kill her."

Kyra stopped to think for a moment. Maybe Connor didn't know about the contents of that room after all.

Nevertheless, she planned to confront Helen about everything, whether or not she was done talking to Cutter.

"We should go do a sweep of the offices, make sure no one's dodged the Cleaners." Connor spoke, snapping Kyra from her thoughts.

"Yeah, sure. You take the East and I'll take West." Kyra offered, sprinting off before Connor could voice any objections.

* * *

Kyra needed to make a possible life-altering decision here and now.

Should she let the others out of the storage closet?

Not yet, they'd probably kill her and not accept her apologies and explanations.

Should she go and sneak up on Connor and knock him out and search him for anything that could be causing his odd behavior? Or, the biggest decision of all, should she betray Helen?

Someone was responsible for her parents' demise, Connor's odd behavior, and the predators.

She, Connor, and Helen were responsible for the takeover here and now. Does this takeover trigger something that they're unaware of?

Kyra made up her mind as she snuck down the hall to put her plan in the making into motion.

* * *

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	31. Just Another War

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 31****: Just Another War**

"_It's just another war_

_Just another family torn_

_My voice will be heard today_

_It's just another kill_

_The countdown begins to destroy ourselves._"

**-"Hero" by Skillet**

Connor finished patrolling his end of the ARC and found absolutely no signs of military that would have been able to ditch the Cleaner army.

"Kyra, it's all clear."

No answer.

"Did you hear me? I said it's all clear."

* * *

Kyra peered around the corner and saw the Cleaner, who she and Connor had left to guard the storage closet containing the ARC members, excluding Cutter.

"Did you hear me? I said it's all clear." Connor's voice hissed over the com.

Kyra tapped the earpiece.

"I heard. Everything's all clear here as well."

"Good. Meet back in the Main Operations Room stat." Connor said before leaving the airways open.

Kyra hesitated.

"Be there in a sec."

She pushed the button on the com to silence any audio from her end.

She took a deep breath before walking around the corner towards the Cleaner.

* * *

Helen was starting to grow impatient with her estranged husband.

"Do you know what it does or not?"

Cutter paused. He couldn't stall much longer and he wasn't entirely sure if Helen had the wit to actually shoot him or not.

"I think—it all depends…" He spoke cautiously.

"On what?"

"On how you use it."

"Have you figured it out yet?" Connor asked as he entered the Main Operations Room.

"What are you doing back here? And where the hell is Kyra? You're supposed to be guarding the others with her." Helen sneered.

"I got bored. She's on her way back here as well. We've locked the others in a storage closet and had the Cleaners guard it." Connor explained, annoyed.

Cutter saw this as his chance. Take the Artifact and run for it to find the others.

He shoved Helen as hard as he could so she would trip, causing her to fall to the ground and threw a punch at Connor causing him to stumble backwards, shocked, as Cutter made a mad dash to exit the Main Operations Room.

* * *

"We need to get out of here. Helen could be rigging the place to blow with all of us in it for all we know." Jenny pointed out.

"That doesn't exactly help with how we're going to get past all of those Cleaners and find Nick without any weapons." Stephen pointed out, no longer grasping his cheek.

"This day has gotten as worse as humanly possible." Lester stated after a period of silence.

Stephen, Abby, and Jenny looked at him.

"I go from mountains of paperwork to losing a bet, to being corralled in a storage closet by public enemy number 1." Lester looked at his watch and shrugged. "I just can't wait to find out how the day will end by five-thirty."

"Sarcasm and cynicism is not going to help us at present, James." Jenny chided.

"Isn't there an air duct or something in here?" Abby asked looking at the ceiling.

"Not one large enough for any of us to fit through unfortunately." Stephen sighed, pointing to a small grate in the corner.

They were silenced by talking on the other side of the door, a gunshot, and the door opening.

* * *

"Kill the ARC members." Helen ordered the Cleaners with a shout over the coms.

"No!" Cutter shouted from the doorway.

Connor fired a couple of shots at him.

Cutter ran down the hallway frantically looking for the storage closet.

"Don't just stand there, get after him! He's got the Artifact!" Helen screamed at Connor.

Connor glared at her before giving chase.

When the room was cleared, Helen strolled over to a suitcase one of the Cleaners had brought with them and opened it, revealing a bomb.

Helen typed in a few security codes before rushing off to find the others and quickly finish what she'd came to do.

She had roughly ten minutes to do so.

* * *

"Look, Helen wants them brought to the Main Operations Room before she unleashes her wrath. I know that I gave you an order earlier and now I'm _ordering_ you to ignore the previous order." Kyra rambled at the Cleaner, who stood still, ignoring her.

"Look buddy—if I kill you, I'm gonna have a huge problem clearing up the whole mess with Helen." Kyra continued.

"Kill the ARC members." Helen's voice came over the coms.

"No." Kyra gasped.

The Cleaner turned, cocked his gun, and started to turn the knob to enter the storage closet.

"Abort order. Abort it, dammit!" She shouted at the mute clone.

She aimed her gun and pulled the trigger.

The Cleaner fell dead. She quickly picked up the gun and swung the door open to reveal Lester and the others.

"Time to go." She announced.

"Why should we trust you?" Jenny glared.

"Because there's a bomb in the building and because it's the only way your going to escape without getting killed." Kyra explained.

"If this is some sort of trick,—"

"Oh, stuff it, Lester. Life or death. Let's move it!" Kyra cut him off.

None of them moved.

"Look, we can play good guy, bad guy later, after everyone's still alive and kicking, yeah?"

"Where's Nick?" Jenny asked.

"Cutter?"

"_Your father_!" Stephen shouted at her.

"He got out already." Kyra lied. "He's out front waiting for you lot, now let's go!"

"What about Helen and Connor?" Abby inquired.

"They're—gone.—They've left me for dead. Do want to live or not?"

The group reluctantly followed Kyra out of the storage closet.

* * *

They crept down several halls before Kyra handed Stephen the gun she took from the dead Cleaner.

"Follow this hall down and escape out the garage." She instructed.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Stephen asked angrily.

"After Helen."

"You said she left." Jenny noted.

Kyra made a face. "Yeah,—I might've lied about that.—But the thing is that you lot live, so get going."

They stood there exchanging glances for a few moments.

"Abby," Kyra spoke. "I did you a solid by saving you from that future disease, now do me a solid and save your teammates."

"Just this once." Abby replied.

"Let's go." Abby ordered leading the path to safety.

"Time for a family chat." Kyra muttered as she turned and ran in the opposite direction looking for Cutter, Connor, and Helen.

* * *

Kyra stopped in the middle of an intersection.

"Great, I just had to get lost." She mumbled.

She had no idea when Helen would've armed the bomb, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be long until the fireworks.

She shrieked as she felt someone's hand slip over her mouth.

The person turned her around to show himself to be Cutter.

Kyra pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry—about everything." She apologized, squeezing him tight.

"Apologies later." Cutter spoke, breaking the hug.

There was a rumble and the sound of concrete shattering. Cutter pulled Kyra into an opposite hallway and shielded her from the flames that came billowing down the intersection they'd been standing in a few minutes ago.

As soon as it was safer, they stood, covered in soot.

"Don't move." Kyra commanded as she patted out a flame on Cutter's left arm.

"How touching." Connor smirked as he came out from the adjacent hallway, covered in soot with a few cuts.

"I see you've chosen your side for the final time." Helen frowned, in a similar condition to Connor.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. And after all I've done for you, you're whole life." Helen shook her head.

Memories of the so realistic dream came crashing back to Kyra.

_The building was on fire, people were screaming and running. There was a small girl, not much older than 3 or 4, who stood in the corridor confused and crying looking for her parents._

_Cutter wiped the child's tears away, "its okay, everything's gonna be alright."_

_"But-but you always say that when you know it's not and something bad's gonna happen. I don't want you to get hurt!" Kyra cried as Claudia picked her up, Cutter embracing and kissing them both as Claudia began to run with Kyra in her arms._

_Kyra screamed after Cutter, who ran back towards the fire._

_Suddenly, a tall woman came around the corner and bent down to Kyra. "Come with me." She said._

_"Mommy says I shouldn't talk to strangers."_

_Helen smiled, "But I'm not a stranger, I'm your guardian angel. I'm here to take you to safety."_

_"What about mommy and daddy?"_

_"They'll be just fine." Helen lied._

_She picked the girl up and pulled out a device and opened an anomaly._

_"Daddy said I should stay away from those shiny circles." Kyra announced._

_"These aren't dangerous, love. They'll take us to fantastical places." Helen replied as she stepped through the anomaly carrying the small child in her arms._

"Fantastical places." Kyra murmured.

"What?" Cutter asked.

Helen merely eyed Kyra and Cutter, while Connor stood near her.

"You—you _killed_ my family." Kyra spoke quietly, looking on at Helen.

* * *

Next chap is the final! All questions will finally be answered! ^^

Please Review! ;D


	32. A Moment of Truth, A Lifetime of Lies

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 32****: A Moment of Truth, A Lifetime of Lies**

"_If I gave you the truth,_

_Would it keep you alive?_

_Though I'm closer to wrong,_

_I'm no further from right."_

**-"Truth" by Seether**

"Fantastical places." Kyra murmured.

"What?" Cutter asked.

Helen merely eyed Kyra and Cutter, while Connor stood near her.

"You—you _killed_ my family." Kyra spoke quietly, looking on at Helen.

"I'm right here." Cutter spoke, standing next to her.

"No, in an alternate future," Kyra explained.

"_You_ were the one who set fire to the ARC and killed everyone including Nick Cutter and Claudia Brown. Weren't you, Helen?" She spat at Helen.

"You have no idea what it's like to be completely and utterly alone for years at a time, do you?" Helen began.

"I know the feeling well enough, from you leaving me on my own at that mansion lost in time." Kyra retorted.

"I needed companionship. Nick refused, as did Stephen."

"So, you just thought that you'd abduct a child and kill everyone that mattered to her?" Cutter jumped in.

"Someone had to pay the price for my happiness." Helen shrugged.

Kyra clenched her fists. Then, her theories sprung to mind.

"What about Connor? How does he play into all of this?"

* * *

Stephen, Abby, Jenny, and Lester cleared the parking lot just before the explosion.

"Cutter!" Jenny called.

"Nick!" Stephen shouted.

No answer.

"What a surprise." Lester crossed his arms. "She lied to us, again."

"There must've been a reason." Abby muttered.

"Nick is still in there, they're probably going to kill him if we don't go back in and get him!" Jenny spoke, angrily.

"No one is going back into the burning building." Lester commanded. "If Cutter isn't out in the next five minutes, I'll send one of the soldiers to recover him. They're trained for such an emergency."

Stephen glanced at Abby.

"Be careful." She whispered, a torn look on her face.

Stephen took off back into the ARC, Lester shouting after him to stop.

* * *

"I think I'll let _Connor_ explain himself." Helen smirked.

"I spent the past couple years watching everyone in the ARC, Connor; but you, you've _changed_ too much for me to know why." Kyra stated, debating whether or not to grab her hand gun from its resting place, in the back of her jeans.

"She's right. You're a completely different person." Cutter stated.

"I'm Connor Temple. A more improved Connor Temple; but the one and only, nonetheless."

"Right. Can you prove it?" Kyra countered.

* * *

Stephen made his way over, around, and even under the debris, looking for Cutter.

"Nick!" He called for his friend.

He paused for a second as he heard voices up ahead, around the corner.

"She's right. You're a completely different person." Cutter stated.

"I'm Connor Temple. A more improved Connor Temple; but the one and only, nonetheless."

"Right. Can you prove it?"

Stephen darted forward and came face to face with Cutter, K.C., Helen, and Connor.

* * *

"I'm living proof." Connor retorted. "What is there to prove?"

"Maybe you could start with how you go from being a guy who cared about his friends, to running off and joining Helen, then harming the ones you used to care about?" Stephen cut in as he came round the corner.

"Hello, Stephen." Helen smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd come looking." Kyra cocked her head to the side, glancing at Stephen.

"I'd like the Artifact back in my possession, Nick. You obviously don't know what it is." Helen held out her hand.

"So you can run off and mess with time again? I don't think so." Cutter shook his head, hiding the Artifact behind his back.

Helen pulled out her gun, cocked it, and aimed it at Cutter.

"I've seen what you've all done to the future. I wish there was another way, Nick."

Kyra also pulled out her gun and aimed it at Helen. Connor aimed his gun at Kyra.

"What an interesting turn of events." Helen mused. "I saved you all those years ago and now you repay me by turning against me."

"I wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't started that fire, like you did here." Kyra said, not faltering her aim.

Stephen wished that he would've remembered to bring the gun with him. He felt helpless; he and Nick would have to rely on K.C. not to turn against them again.

"Like I said earlier, it gets lonely travelling through the anomalies. It gets dangerous out there, I needed a companion."

"You continuously dumped me into your past so you could raise me while not really aging at all. What kind of life is that?" Kyra shouted.

"I was protecting you." Helen said, glancing at Kyra.

Stephen saw this as his chance and rushed at Helen, knocking the gun out of her hand. The anomaly device fell to the floor, which Connor picked up.

"What are you doing, Connor?" Helen asked incredulously.

"You didn't keep your end of the bargain, Helen. Now, neither am I." Connor smirked, stepping away from the group.

Kyra turned her gun to Connor.

"Coming?" He offered Kyra.

Kyra glared at him.

Stephen kept Helen pinned against the wall. Helen struggled underneath Stephen's touch.

"And to make sure that you all stay here," Connor spoke as he pulled the trigger, shooting Helen in the torso near her rib cage and Cutter in the shoulder before dashing off down the hallway of the burning building.

Helen groaned and slid down the wall, Cutter fell against the opposite wall, grasping his shoulder.

Kyra fell down next to him, gun in hand. "Dad, I'm sorry."

"Stop 'im." Cutter ordered, meeting her gaze.

"But—"

"I trust you. I'll be fine. Stephen and I will get out of here with Helen." Cutter forced a smile.

Kyra nodded before giving chase to Connor.

* * *

"Stephen," Cutter groaned as he forced himself to his feet, grasping the Artifact in his hand, trying to ignore his shoulder. "We need to leave; this place is going to collapse."

Stephen nodded and reluctantly picked up Helen as he and Nick moved quickly and made their way out of the building.

* * *

"Connor!" Kyra coughed, the smoke becoming thicker.

She turned a corner and saw Connor entering an anomaly. Without thinking, she dashed and jumped through it, smacking into Connor seconds before the anomaly slammed shut.

They were back at the mansion.

"I see you've changed your mind, yet again. I'm glad you chose to join me." Connor greeted, knocking the gun from her grasp, holding her wrists.

"What was your end of the deal between you and Helen?" Kyra asked, struggling against his grip.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" He asked amusedly.

"Because you're _not_ Connor Temple!" She sneered.

"I am though."

"Where's your ring, then?"

"I lost in when I was traveling through the anomalies." He hesitated.

"You're lying." She accused.

He couldn't let her know. He shoved her off of him and leapt to his feet, dashing down the hallway. Toward the direction of the locked door.

* * *

"Get medics over here, now!" Lester shouted as Stephen, Nick, and Helen emerged from the burning ARC.

"Nick." Jenny breathed, pulling him into a kiss.

"Shoulder." Nick muttered in pain, against her lips.

"I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"It's fine." Nick smiled.

The medics collected Helen and packed her into an ambulance rushing off to the hospital as she started to go into shock.

"I want military escort with Helen Cutter at all times, no one is to let her out of sight." Lester ordered.

Jenny rode in another ambulance with Cutter to the hospital.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Abby spoke, looking at Stephen, who had blood on his t-shirt.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." Stephen smirked, leaning in and kissing her passionately.

"What about K.C. and Connor?"

"Connor shot Helen and Nick before taking off through an anomaly. K.C. went after him." Stephen explained as a medic guided him toward another ambulance, Abby following.

* * *

Kyra moved cautiously, but quickly down the hallway, gun at the ready. She didn't have time for a deep breath as she spun round the corner.

Nothing.

She moved to the door with the lock.

The lock was broken off, the door partially open.

She pushed the door open and entered into the dark room, only to be meant with a stabbing pain in her side. A hand flew instinctively to the spot.

It was warm and sticky.

Blood.

She'd been stabbed.

Light flooded the room as she fell to her knees almost in slow motion.

There were machines everywhere and in the center of the room was a large containment unit with Connor in it, eyes closed, surrounded by some sort of liquid. He was hooked up to all sorts of wires and in nothing but boxer shorts, the ring floating around his neck.

"Connor." She mumbled as she leaned forward, trying to ignore the pain.

She heard the knife clatter to the cold floor.

"I gave you a choice and you refused. See, I'm not as savvy and lenient as Helen. I don't give multiple chances to redeem yourself." Connor spoke, circling in front of her.

Kyra tried to force herself to her feet and stumbled slightly.

"That's the _real_ Connor Temple." She stated.

Connor glanced at the tank.

"Well, technically speaking, we're _both_ the real Connor Temple. I'm just his—_evil_ twin clone, if you will—from another time, sort of like you."

"We're not the same." Kyra spoke, breathing heavily.

"You wanted the truth? Here it is." Connor smiled, outstretching his arms, gesturing to the room.

* * *

Okay, I apologize, I lied. lol The _next_ chapter will be the final. The rest of the story/epilogue. ^-^;

Please review! ;D


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